A Commitment Of Blood And Treasure: The Many Presidents Of The Afghanistan War

The war in Afghanistan was the longest war in US history, spanning over two decades and four presidencies. It began in 2001, under the leadership of George W. Bush, in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Bush vowed to win the war against terrorism and signed a joint resolution authorising the use of force against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The war continued under the Obama administration, who initially increased troop numbers but later began the process of withdrawing US forces. Trump continued the withdrawal and Biden finalised it, bringing all troops home by the end of August 2021.

The US War in Afghanistan

In response, US President George W. Bush declared a 'War on Terror' and demanded that the Taliban, the regime in power in Afghanistan, extradite Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. When the Taliban refused, Bush issued an ultimatum: close all Al-Qaeda training camps and hand over their personnel. The Taliban again refused, and the US, alongside British forces, invaded Afghanistan, declaring Operation Enduring Freedom.

The US-led coalition quickly overthrew the Taliban regime and formed a new government, the Islamic Republic. However, Bin Laden escaped to neighbouring Pakistan, and the Taliban began to regroup. In 2003, Bush declared an end to major combat operations and shifted focus to Iraq. This allowed the Taliban to regain strength, and by 2007, large parts of Afghanistan were under their control.

In 2009, US President Barack Obama announced a surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total to around 100,000. This was followed by a series of peace talks and negotiations, but the Taliban continued to gain ground. In 2014, the UK and US officially ended their combat operations, and in 2020, the US signed a conditional peace deal with the Taliban, agreeing to withdraw all troops by September 11, 2021.

However, the Taliban soon broke the deal and launched a broad offensive, culminating in the fall of Kabul and the end of the war. The US completed its withdrawal on August 30, 2021, marking the end of America's longest war.

The Taliban's rise to power

The Taliban, which means ["students" in Pashto, is an Islamic fundamentalist group that rose to power in Afghanistan in 2021, two decades after being ousted by US-led forces.

The Taliban emerged in the aftermath of the Afghan War (1978–92) and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1989. The new Afghan government failed to establish civil order outside of Kabul, and much of the country was subject to frequent extortion and assault from local militias and warlords.

• The downfall of the government left behind by the Soviets, which was widely disliked and collapsed in 1992.
• Pashtun resentment towards the non-Pashtun-dominated regime that arose in 1992. The Taliban was predominantly Pashtun, and Pashtuns saw the Taliban as their champion in the ongoing struggle against non-Pashtuns and foreign influence.
• Large-scale external assistance from Pakistan, which sought to nurture a Pashtun-dominated group amenable to Pakistani influence. Pakistan provided military support, training, and financial assistance to the Taliban.
• Chronic divisions among non-Pashtun groups, including between and within ethnic groups, which prevented a unified resistance against the Taliban.
• Popular fatigue with the constant conflict following the Soviet departure, which made the Taliban's promise of stability appealing to many Afghans.
• Limited external assistance to non-Pashtun forces, in contrast to the substantial support received by the Taliban from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

The Taliban's initial popularity was also due to their success in imposing law and order, disarming the population, and enforcing Sharia law. However, their rule became increasingly harsh and repressive, with strict religious ideology and conservative Pashtun social codes that restricted the rights of women and imposed brutal punishments for crimes.

Despite being ousted from power by US-led forces in 2001, the Taliban regrouped and waged a twenty-year insurgency against the US-backed Afghan government. They took advantage of the power vacuum created by the withdrawal of US and Coalition forces in 2014 and quickly seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, marking their return to power.

Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda

Osama bin Laden was the founder of the Islamist terrorist organisation al-Qaeda. Bin Laden was born in 1957 in Saudi Arabia and was the son of a wealthy Saudi businessman. Following the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, bin Laden began providing financial and logistical support to the Islamic fighters battling the Soviets. In 1988, after Soviet forces were defeated and withdrew from Afghanistan, bin Laden founded al-Qaeda, or "the Base", to continue the cause of jihad through violence and aggression.

Al-Qaeda soon began raising money, setting up training camps, and providing military and intelligence instruction in such areas as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan. Under bin Laden's direction, al-Qaeda started launching attacks and bombings in various nations to further its violent aims. During this time, bin Laden was becoming increasingly hostile to the United States, particularly in opposition to the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia and Somalia.

Bin Laden and other members of al-Qaeda began issuing fatwas, indicating that attacks on the U.S. and its citizens were both proper and necessary. Bin Laden later openly declared war on the United States.

In 2001, 19 militants associated with al-Qaeda staged the September 11 attacks in the United States. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and injured thousands more. The United States responded by attacking Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan, driving the remainder of al-Qaeda and their leaders into hiding.

In May 2011, U.S. intelligence located bin Laden residing in a secure compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of U.S. military forces carried out an operation that killed bin Laden. After his death was confirmed, it was announced by U.S. President Barack Obama, who hailed the operation as a major success in the fight against al-Qaeda.

The US invasion of Afghanistan

The Taliban had refused to hand over Osama bin Laden to the US and expel al-Qaeda militants from Afghanistan. Bin Laden had been active in Afghanistan since the Soviet-Afghan War and was already wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his role in the 1998 US embassy bombings.

On October 7, 2001, the US military, with British support, officially launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The invasion was joined by a large multinational force, including Afghanistan's local Northern Alliance. The invasion made rapid progress over the next two months, capturing Kabul on November 13 and toppling the Taliban by December 17. However, most members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban were not captured, and during the Battle of Tora Bora, several fighters, including Osama bin Laden, escaped into neighbouring Pakistan.

The invasion of Afghanistan was part of a three-phase conflict. The first phase—toppling the Taliban—was brief, lasting just two months. The second phase, from 2002 until 2008, was marked by a US strategy of defeating the Taliban militarily and rebuilding core institutions of the Afghan state. The third phase, a turn to classic counterinsurgency doctrine, began in 2008 and accelerated with US President Barack Obama’s 2009 decision to temporarily increase the US troop presence in Afghanistan.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan marked the beginning of a 20-year war—the longest war in US history.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan

The Decision to Withdraw

The decision to withdraw was made by President Joe Biden, who was the fourth US president to preside over the war in Afghanistan. Biden's decision was influenced by the fact that the war had dragged on for too long, resulting in a loss of American lives and resources. He also inherited a deal negotiated by the Trump administration, which set a deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021. Biden extended this deadline to September 11, 2021.

The Withdrawal Process

The withdrawal process was chaotic and deadly. The US State Department released a report detailing the failings of the evacuation operation, which left thousands of Afghans who had served alongside US forces stranded in the country. The report criticized the Biden administration for insufficient consideration of worst-case scenarios and poor crisis preparation.

Impact of the Withdrawal

The impact of the US withdrawal was significant. It resulted in the Taliban regaining control of the country, leading to a refugee crisis as many Afghans fled. It also raised fears of Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorists, with concerns about the rights and safety of women and girls under Taliban rule. The withdrawal also had political consequences, with Biden facing criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for his handling of the situation.

Reflections on the Withdrawal

Reflecting on the withdrawal, Biden defended his decision, arguing that the counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan was complete and that it was not the role of the US to nation-build. He acknowledged that the troop withdrawal had been "messy" and placed blame on the Afghan security forces for failing to counter the Taliban. Biden also emphasized the need to focus on other national security priorities, such as countering terrorist threats in other regions and competing with China.

Frequently asked questions