The Enduring War: Afghanistan's Two-Decade Military Conflict

The US military intervention in Afghanistan was a response to the September 11 attacks. The war in Afghanistan was an armed conflict from 2001 to 2021. It was the longest war in the military history of the United States, surpassing the length of the Vietnam War.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, when the US and British forces initiated Operation Enduring Freedom. The goal was to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime from power. The Taliban was an ultraconservative political and religious faction that ruled Afghanistan and provided sanctuary for al-Qaeda. The invasion was a response to the September 11 attacks, which were plotted by al-Qaeda.

The US military intervention in Afghanistan was a 20-year occupation that ended on August 30, 2021.

The US invaded Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan was the opening salvo in the United States "war on terror". The invasion was intended to target terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organisation, which was based in the country, as well as the extreme fundamentalist Taliban government that had ruled most of the country since 1996 and supported and protected al-Qaeda.

The US military, with British support, began a bombing campaign against Taliban forces, officially launching Operation Enduring Freedom. The invasion of Afghanistan was the direct response to the September 11 attacks.

The US wanted to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was a direct response to the September 11 attacks. The US wanted to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists. The invasion began when an international military coalition led by the US launched Operation Enduring Freedom, declaring war on terror. The coalition aimed to topple the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and establish the Islamic Republic. The Taliban and its allies were expelled from major population centres by US-led forces, supporting the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

The US-led coalition remained in Afghanistan, forming a security mission (ISAF) sanctioned by the United Nations, with the goal of creating a new democratic authority in the country that would prevent the Taliban from returning to power. A new Afghan Interim Administration was established, and international rebuilding efforts were launched.

However, by 2003, the Taliban had reorganised under their founder, Mullah Omar, and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces. Insurgents from the Taliban and other Islamist groups waged asymmetric warfare, fighting with guerrilla warfare in the countryside, suicide attacks against urban targets, and reprisals against perceived Afghan collaborators. By 2007, large parts of Afghanistan had been retaken by the Taliban. In response, the coalition sent a major influx of troops for counter-insurgency operations, with a "clear and hold" strategy for villages and towns.

In 2011, a US covert operation in neighbouring Pakistan led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. NATO leaders began planning an exit strategy from Afghanistan. On 28 December 2014, NATO formally ended ISAF combat operations in Afghanistan and officially transferred full security responsibility to the Afghan government.

The war in Afghanistan was the longest war in US military history, surpassing the length of the Vietnam War. The war killed an estimated 176,000–2120,000+ people, including 46,319 civilians. While more than 5.7 million former refugees returned to Afghanistan after the 2001 invasion, by the time the Taliban returned to power in 2021, 2.6 million Afghans remained refugees, while another 4 million were internally displaced.

The US wanted to capture Osama bin Laden

Bin Laden was one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, and the US government had offered a reward of $25 million for information leading to his capture. In December 2009, US Army General Stanley McChrystal said that bin Laden would need to be "captured or killed" in order for the US to "finally defeat al-Qaeda."

In May 2011, US Navy SEALs carried out an assault on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden was believed to be hiding. During a 40-minute raid, bin Laden was killed by a bullet above the left eye and another to the chest.

The US wanted to topple the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate

The US presence in Afghanistan was a direct response to the September 11 attacks. The US-led international military coalition launched Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the war on terror. A key objective was to topple the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and replace it with a democratic authority.

The Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group, had established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on September 27, 1996, with military and financial support from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Their harsh rule was marked by a crackdown on women's rights and a neglect of basic services. In 1998, Osama Bin Laden, sheltered by the Taliban, was accused of attacking US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. This led to the Clinton administration firing cruise missiles at Afghanistan and sanctioning the Taliban regime.

Following the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush demanded the Taliban extradite Bin Laden. The Taliban refused, leading to their ouster from power by the US-led coalition. The Taliban and its allies were expelled from major population centers, and the coalition formed a security mission (ISAF) sanctioned by the United Nations. The goal was to create a new democratic authority and prevent the Taliban from returning to power.

The US-backed government faced a powerful Taliban insurgency, with the group installing "shadow governors" across Afghanistan. The Taliban's return to power seemed inevitable, and analysts raised concerns about their close ties with al-Qaeda. The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021, re-establishing the Islamic Emirate and reversing gains in women's rights and economic development.

The US wanted to establish the Islamic Republic

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 was a direct response to the September 11 attacks. The stated goal was to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the attacks under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, and to deny Islamist militants a safe base of operations in Afghanistan by toppling the Taliban government.

The Taliban had seized around 85% of Afghanistan's territory as well as the capital city of Kabul, effectively confining the Northern Alliance to Badakhshan Province and smaller surrounding areas. The US-led invasion marked the first phase of what would become the 20-year-long War in Afghanistan.

The Taliban regime unravelled rapidly after its loss at Mazar-e-Sharif on November 9, 2001, to forces loyal to Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek military leader. Over the next week, Taliban strongholds crumbled after coalition and Northern Alliance offensives.

On November 14, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1378, calling for a "central role" for the United Nations in establishing a transitional administration and inviting member states to send peacekeeping forces to promote stability and aid delivery.

In December 2001, the United Nations Security Council established the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to oversee military operations in Afghanistan and also train the new Afghan National Security Forces. At the Bonn Conference that same month, Hamid Karzai was selected to lead the Afghan Interim Administration.

The Taliban's founding leader, Muhammad Umar, reorganised the movement to wage asymmetric warfare against the coalition. By 2002, the group had launched an insurgency against the American-led war effort.

In 2004, the nation's new constitution was adopted, and an executive president was elected. The following year, a general election was held to choose parliamentarians.

The US-led coalition remained in Afghanistan, forming a security mission (ISAF)—sanctioned by the United Nations—with the goal of creating a new democratic authority in the country that would prevent the Taliban from returning to power.

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