Lingering Military Presence: Examining The Number Of U.S. Troops In Afghanistan

The number of American troops stationed in Afghanistan has fluctuated since the United States went to war in the country in 2001. The number peaked at 100,000 in August 2010 and dropped to 9,800 in March 2015. In July 2016, President Barack Obama announced that the number would remain at about 8,400 through the end of his term on January 20, 2017.

In March 2021, it was revealed that there were 1,000 more troops in Afghanistan than previously disclosed, bringing the total number to around 3,500. This added complexity to the Biden administration's decision on whether to follow through with a full withdrawal by May 1, 2021, as per the agreement reached by the Trump administration and the Taliban.

In his speech on August 31, 2021, President Joe Biden stated that about 100 to 200 Americans remained in Afghanistan with the intention to leave. However, the exact number of Americans still in Afghanistan who want to leave remains unknown.

The number of US troops in Afghanistan has fluctuated since 2001

In March 2002, there were 7,200 US troops in Afghanistan, leading allied Afghan forces in the largest ground assault of the war to date. The number of troops continued to increase, with 20,300 troops in the country by April 2004, and 25,000 by December 2007.

In May 2009, as fighting in Afghanistan became more intense, the number of US troops surpassed 50,000. By August 2010, the US force reached 100,000. In June 2011, President Obama announced his withdrawal plan: to bring home 10,000 troops by the end of 2011, and continue at a steady pace until handing over security responsibilities to the Afghans by 2014.

In March 2014, with nearly 34,000 troops in Afghanistan, Obama ordered the Pentagon to develop options for a complete military withdrawal, because Afghan President Hamid Karzai refused to sign a security agreement with the United States. In May 2014, Obama announced his plan to pull virtually all US troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016.

In March 2015, troops declined to about 9,800, on track for a nearly total withdrawal in 2016. However, in October 2015, Obama said the situation was too fragile for the American military to leave, announcing plans to keep the current force of about 9,800 in place through most of 2016. In July 2016, Obama again changed the plan, announcing that the security situation in Afghanistan "remains precarious," and that he would keep the troop level at about 8,400 through the end of his term on Jan. 20, 2017.

The US troop presence in Afghanistan began in October 2001

The conflict in Afghanistan would span two decades and become the longest war in US history. Dubbed “Operation Enduring Freedom” in US military parlance, the invasion of Afghanistan was intended to target terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organization, 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 Taliban, which had imposed its extremist version of Islam on the entire country, also perpetrated countless human rights abuses against its people, especially women, girls, and ethnic Hazaras. During their rule, large numbers of Afghans lived in utter poverty, and as many as 4 million Afghans are thought to have suffered from starvation.

In the weeks prior to the invasion, both the United States and the UN Security Council had demanded that the Taliban turn over Osama bin Laden for prosecution. After deeming the Taliban’s counteroffers unsatisfactory—among them to try bin Laden in an Islamic court—the invasion began with an aerial bombardment of Taliban and al-Qaeda installations in Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Konduz, and Mazar-e-Sharif. Other coalition planes flew in airdrops of humanitarian supplies for Afghan civilians. The Taliban called the actions “an attack on Islam.”

After the air campaign softened Taliban defenses, the coalition began a ground invasion, with Northern Alliance forces providing most of the troops and the United States and other nations giving air and ground support. On November 12, a little over a month after the military action began, Taliban officials and their forces retreated from the capital of Kabul. By early December, Kandahar, the last Taliban stronghold, had fallen, and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar went into hiding rather than surrender.

The number of troops peaked at 100,000 in August 2010

The number of American troops in Afghanistan peaked at 100,000 in August 2010. This was the first time the number had risen above 100,000, and it remained around that level for the next year. The surge in troops was part of President Barack Obama's pledge to commit to the Afghanistan conflict. Between 2008 and 2010, the number of US troops in Afghanistan rose from about 30,000 to more than 100,000.

The surge in troops was ordered in November 2009 by President Obama in an effort to stem Taliban victories. The number of troops in Afghanistan had already been increasing that year due to escalating violence. In December 2009, Obama ordered an additional 33,000 troops to Afghanistan to battle al-Qaida militants and a resurgent Taliban.

The increase in troops led to an increase in American fatalities. Between 2009 and 2012, 1,534 Americans died in Afghanistan. There were also more US troop casualties in 2010 than in any other year of the war.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan began in 2011

The withdrawal was to be carried out in a phased manner, with the US military transitioning from a combat role to one focused on training Afghan forces and counterterrorism. However, the withdrawal was not without challenges and setbacks. In 2015, Obama reversed his decision to withdraw all troops by the end of his term, citing the fragile security situation in Afghanistan. The number of troops remained at about 8,400 until the end of his presidency in 2017.

The Trump administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban, agreeing to a full military withdrawal by May 2021. However, this deadline was pushed back by the Biden administration, which set a new date of September 11, 2021, for a complete withdrawal. The final US troops departed Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, marking the end of America's longest war.

The withdrawal was chaotic and tumultuous, with thousands of Afghans who had worked with US forces left behind. The US State Department faced intense criticism for its handling of the evacuation, with a report detailing damning shortcomings and a lack of preparedness for worst-case scenarios.

The impact of the US withdrawal was significant. Afghanistan faced a collapsed economy, a humanitarian crisis, and the return of the Taliban regime. Civil society, especially women's rights, faced severe restrictions, and the country was plunged into a state of economic and political turmoil. The US decision to withdraw also sparked a global debate about the role of foreign intervention and the responsibility to the local population.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed in August 2021

The US troop levels in Afghanistan spiralled to 100,000, then dropped slightly below 10,000. In 2011, President Obama announced a withdrawal plan, aiming to hand over security responsibilities to the Afghans by 2014. This plan was disrupted by the Trump administration's Doha deal with the Taliban, which set a withdrawal deadline of May 1, 2021.

The Biden administration ultimately decided to withdraw all US troops by September 11, 2021. This decision was met with mixed reactions, with 54% of Americans agreeing with the decision, according to a survey conducted in August 2021. However, the withdrawal process was chaotic and tumultuous, with thousands of Afghans who had served alongside US forces left behind. The State Department received intense criticism for its handling of the evacuation operation, with accusations that it failed to adequately prepare for worst-case scenarios.

The withdrawal of US troops resulted in the Taliban regaining control of the country, leading to a refugee crisis and heightened fears of Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorists. In the year following the US withdrawal, Afghanistan faced a collapsed economy, a humanitarian crisis, and the Taliban imposed restrictions on civil society, particularly impacting women and girls.

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