Austrian Forces In Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Deployment

The War in Afghanistan was the longest war in American history, lasting from 2001 to 2021. It was a response to the September 11 attacks, which were orchestrated by Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was being harboured by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The conflict was sparked by the US's demand that the Taliban hand over Bin Laden, which was refused.

The US-led Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001, with the US and UK launching airstrikes against Al-Qaeda and Taliban targets. Ground forces soon followed, and the Taliban regime unravelled rapidly. By mid-November, the Taliban had lost key strongholds, including the capital city of Kabul. The official end of Taliban rule came with the fall of Kandahar on December 6, 2001, which caused Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden to flee.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001

The Taliban had refused to hand over Osama bin Laden to the US, despite demands from President George W. Bush. Bin Laden had been active in Afghanistan since the Soviet-Afghan War and was wanted by the FBI for his role in the 1998 United States embassy bombings.

The invasion, known as Operation Enduring Freedom, began on October 7, 2001, with air strikes on 31 targets across Afghanistan. The US military presence bolstered the Northern Alliance, which had been locked in a losing fight with the Taliban during the Afghan Civil War. The Northern Alliance, along with US, UK, Canadian, Australian, and other coalition forces, made rapid progress over the next two months, capturing Kabul on November 13 and toppling the Taliban by December 17.

The invasion marked the first phase of what would become the 20-year-long War in Afghanistan. The Taliban regime was removed from power, and a new government was formed under Hamid Karzai. However, most members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban were not captured, and Osama bin Laden escaped into neighbouring Pakistan.

The US and its allies aimed to prevent the Northern Alliance from taking control of Afghanistan, believing that the Alliance's rule would alienate the country's Pashtun majority. Instead, they sought to install a new government that would prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe base for Islamist militants.

The invasion was a "striking military success" for the coalition forces, who achieved their war aims with a relatively small force. However, the focus soon shifted to Iraq, and the failure to commit significant resources to Afghanistan allowed the Taliban to regroup and launch an insurgency.

The Taliban's fall from power

The Taliban's rule was brutal, and they imposed a harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Women were forced to wear the all-encompassing burqa and were prevented from working or attending school. Music was banned, and punishments for petty crimes included the severing of hands or execution.

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the US demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks, and other al-Qaeda leaders. When the Taliban refused, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan, quickly overtaking Taliban strongholds, including the capital, Kabul, by mid-November.

The Taliban regime unravelled rapidly, and on December 6, 2001, the fall of Kandahar signalled the official end of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden were forced to flee, and the Taliban leadership retreated into rural areas and across the border to Pakistan.

Despite the official fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda leaders continued to hide out in the mountains, and the US military, with British support, began a bombing campaign against remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban forces.

The hunt for Osama bin Laden

The Early Years: Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda, went into hiding following the start of the War in Afghanistan to avoid capture by the US and its allies for his role in the September 11 attacks. He was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 1999.

The Battle of Tora Bora: After evading capture at the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001, bin Laden's whereabouts became unclear. Various rumours circulated about his health, his continued role in al-Qaeda, and his location. Bin Laden also released several video and audio recordings during this time.

The Hunt Begins: In December 2009, US Army General Stanley McChrystal said that bin Laden would need to be "captured or killed" for the US to "finally defeat al-Qaeda".

The Courier: American intelligence officials discovered bin Laden's whereabouts by tracking one of his couriers. Information was collected from Guantanamo Bay detainees, who revealed the courier's pseudonym as Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti. In 2009, US officials discovered that al-Kuwaiti lived in Abbottabad, Pakistan. CIA paramilitary operatives located and followed al-Kuwaiti back to the Abbottabad compound, speculating that it was bin Laden's location.

The Raid: On May 1, 2011, US Navy SEALs of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group carried out an assault on the compound on orders from US President Barack Obama. During a 40-minute raid, bin Laden was killed by a bullet above the left eye and another to the chest. The SEALs overpowered the compound's remaining residents, killing several, and extracted bin Laden's body (which was subsequently buried at sea), along with computer hard drives, documents, and other materials.

The Aftermath: Following bin Laden's death, new details of his whereabouts were learned from interrogations of his widows and surviving associates. It was determined that he had lived in five different safe houses in Pakistan. His penultimate home was located in Haripur, an upscale house in a neighbourhood that also bordered Afghan refugee huts. He lived there for eleven months while the Abbottabad compound was being built.

Pakistan's Alleged Role: Critics have accused Pakistan's military and security establishment of protecting bin Laden. Most believe bin Laden lived at the compound for at least six years before his death.

The Impact: The death of bin Laden was a strategic blow to al-Qaeda, resulting in a diminished threat. However, the group has proven resilient and continues to remake itself, relaunch itself, and morph into other forms.

The US-led coalition's shift to Iraq

In 2003, the US led a controversial invasion of Iraq, which was based on flawed intelligence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and links to al-Qaeda. By 2007, the number of US forces in Iraq peaked at 170,000 soldiers. In 2011, the US had withdrawn most of its troops from Iraq and kept 20,000 employees in its embassy and consulates.

In 2014, the US President Barack Obama ordered US forces to be dispatched in response to the Northern Iraq offensive of the Islamic State (IS). The US-led coalition provided extensive support to the Iraqi Security Forces via training, intelligence, and personnel. The coalition officially concluded its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, but US troops remain in Iraq to advise, train, and assist Iraqi security forces against the ongoing ISIL insurgency.

In January 2024, the Iraqi government began the process of removing the US-led international military coalition from the country. The US has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State. The Iraqi government's decision to remove the coalition came after a US strike killed a militia leader in Baghdad, prompting anger among Iran-aligned groups.

The Taliban's resurgence

The Taliban resurgence was also facilitated by the Pakistani military's Operation Zarb-e-Azb, which dislodged thousands of militants who then joined the Taliban's ranks. In addition, the Afghan security forces lacked air power, reconnaissance, and governance at different levels, which the Taliban exploited.

The resurgence was also facilitated by the support the Taliban received from Pakistan, which provided sanctuary and financial backing. Pakistan saw the Taliban as a useful proxy in its competition with India and turned a blind eye to the group's activities.

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