The Enduring War: A Look At The Two-Decade Long Presence Of Troops In Afghanistan

The War in Afghanistan was the longest war in the history of the United States, lasting from 2001 to 2021. It was a direct response to the September 11 attacks, which were planned by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Following the attacks, President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban extradite bin Laden to the United States. When the Taliban refused, Bush issued an ultimatum: the Taliban must close immediately every terrorist training camp, hand over every terrorist and their supporters, and give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection.

The Taliban again refused, and the US, alongside an international military coalition, invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. The invasion, known as Operation Enduring Freedom, toppled the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and established the Islamic Republic.

The conflict officially ended in 2021, when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001

The invasion, known as Operation Enduring Freedom, began on October 7, 2001, with air strikes on 31 targets across the country. The US military presence in Afghanistan bolstered the Northern Alliance, who had been locked in a losing fight with the Taliban during the Afghan Civil War. The invasion made rapid progress, and the coalition captured Kabul on November 13, toppling the Taliban by December 17.

The invasion was a "striking military success", but the US failed to capture bin Laden or other key al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Bin Laden escaped to neighbouring Pakistan, and the Taliban regrouped to wage asymmetric warfare against the coalition. The protracted fighting continued for the next two decades, and by mid-2021, the international coalition and the US had begun to withdraw from the country amidst a nationwide Taliban offensive.

The Taliban's resurgence in 2003

The Taliban resurgence in 2003 was a result of the group's regrouping and re-organizing after their fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and against a US-led coalition of forces.

In 2003, the Taliban regrouped 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.

In May and June 2003, high-ranking Taliban officials proclaimed that the Taliban regrouped and were ready to wage a guerrilla war to expel US forces from Afghanistan. Omar assigned five operational zones to Taliban commanders such as Dadullah, who took charge in Zabul province.

In late 2004, the then-hidden Taliban leader Mohammed Omar announced an insurgency against "America and its puppets" (i.e., transitional Afghan government forces) to "regain the sovereignty of our country".

The Taliban spent several years regrouping and launched a re-escalation of the insurgency campaign in 2006.

The US-Taliban deal in 2020

The deal was the result of more than a year of talks and negotiations between the US and the Taliban. It was endorsed by all 15 members of the UN Security Council and was seen as a de facto recognition of the Taliban's power. The agreement called for the Taliban to sever ties with international terrorist groups and prevent them from using Afghanistan to carry out attacks against the US and its allies. In exchange, the US agreed to reduce its troops in Afghanistan and eventually withdraw all combat forces by May 2021.

However, the deal faced challenges and complications. The Taliban was accused of not reducing violence and continuing attacks on military and civilian targets. There were also concerns about the exclusion of the Afghan government from the deal, which some believed emboldened the Taliban and hindered progress in intra-Afghan talks.

Despite these issues, the deal represented a significant step towards ending the nearly two-decade-long war in Afghanistan that had claimed thousands of lives and cost the US trillions of dollars. It was hoped that this agreement would pave the way for lasting peace and stability in the region.

The withdrawal of US troops in 2021

The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021 marked the end of America's longest war, which had lasted nearly 20 years. The decision to withdraw was made by President Biden in April 2021, with a deadline of August 31st.

The US had initially invaded Afghanistan in 2001, following the 9/11 attacks, to dismantle al-Qaeda and overthrow the Taliban government, which had been harbouring Osama bin Laden. The Taliban were quickly removed from power, but the war continued as US and NATO forces attempted to stabilise the country and support a new democratic government.

By 2021, the war had become deeply unpopular in the US, and Biden's decision to withdraw was supported by 54% of Americans, according to a survey conducted in August of that year. However, the withdrawal was not without controversy. US troops left behind large amounts of military equipment, and the speed of the Taliban's advance took the US government by surprise.

The withdrawal was also criticised for being poorly executed and chaotic. Biden was accused of failing to anticipate the strength of the Taliban and the weakness of the Afghan government and military, which had been trained and equipped by the US at a cost of billions of dollars. In the end, the Afghan government and military collapsed within weeks, with President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country on August 15th.

The evacuation of US citizens, Afghan allies, and other foreign nationals was also criticised as being poorly planned and executed. Although more than 120,000 people were evacuated, thousands of Afghans who had worked with the US were left behind. The evacuation was further complicated by a suicide bombing at Kabul airport on August 26th, which killed 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians.

Despite the controversy and criticism, Biden defended the withdrawal, arguing that the counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan was complete and that it was time to end America's "forever war". He also argued that the US had achieved its original goal of preventing further terrorist attacks on US soil emanating from Afghanistan.

The Taliban's offensive in 2021

The 2021 Taliban offensive was a military campaign by the Taliban and its allies that led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the end of the nearly 20-year-long war in Afghanistan. The offensive began on 1 May 2021, coinciding with the withdrawal of the United States' 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, and those belonging to other international allies.

The Taliban's effective use of online social media, its strategic choice of attacking northern provinces, and the freedom of movement on the main Afghan highways, which resulted from the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) following the US-recommended strategy of sacrificing rural areas in favour of defending key urban centres, were some of the factors that led to the Taliban's success.

The Taliban's victory had widespread domestic and international ramifications regarding human rights and the proliferation of terrorism. The offensive included a continuation of the bottom-up succession of negotiated or paid surrenders to the Taliban from the village level upwards that started following the February 2020 US-Taliban deal.

The Taliban managed to make significant territorial gains in the countryside, increasing the number of districts it controlled from 73 to 223 in the first three months of the offensive. On 6 August, the Taliban launched an assault on the provincial capitals, with most of the towns surrendering without a fight, culminating with victories in weeks-long battles of major cities Herat, Kandahar and Lashkargah on 13 August. On 15 August, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and the Taliban captured the Afghan capital Kabul with only sporadic resistance; thus, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's government fell, resulting in the de facto takeover of the country and the reinstatement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The speed of the Taliban's takeover came as a surprise to many, including the governments of the United States and their allies, Russia and the Taliban themselves.

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