The Ever-Present Conflict: America's Complex Relationship With Iraq And Afghanistan

The US is no longer at war with Afghanistan, having withdrawn its last military forces from the country on 30 August 2021. However, the US still has troops in Iraq, with around 2,500 soldiers deployed there. This is a far cry from the 170,000 US troops in Iraq at the peak of the war in 2007. The continued US troop presence in Iraq is justified as a show of commitment to the region and a hedge against Iranian influence and weapons trafficking. The US presence is also meant to help Iraq battle the remnants of the Islamic State insurgency and prevent any resurgence.

The US war in Afghanistan was its longest war

The conflict was not without its setbacks, with the Taliban regrouping and launching an insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces. The Taliban received support from Pakistan, and by 2007, large parts of Afghanistan had been retaken by the Taliban. The coalition responded with a surge of troops for counter-insurgency operations, with a "clear and hold" strategy for villages and towns.

The conflict was not only costly in terms of resources but also human lives, with the war resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 US military personnel, over 3,000 US contractors, and over 1,000 allied troops. For Afghans, the statistics are staggering, with over 70,000 Afghan military and police deaths, over 46,000 Afghan civilians, and about 53,000 opposition fighters killed. The war also resulted in the displacement of millions of Afghans, with over 2.6 million remaining refugees by 2021.

The war in Afghanistan ended with the Taliban offensive in 2021, which overthrew the Islamic Republic and re-established the Islamic Emirate. The protracted US-led military presence in the country came to an end, with the last American military aircraft departing from Afghanistan on 30 August 2021.

The US war in Afghanistan was not only the longest war in US history but also one of the most costly in terms of human lives and resources. The conflict resulted in significant casualties on both sides and led to a prolonged military presence that spanned two decades. The war's legacy continues to shape the region, with the Taliban regaining control and the world witnessing the human cost of a protracted conflict.

The US invaded Iraq in March 2003

The US-led invasion of Iraq, also known as Operation Iraqi Freedom, began on 19 March 2003. The invasion was based on the claim that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction. The invasion was led by US President George W. Bush, who announced in a televised address: "At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."

The invasion was carried out by a coalition of forces primarily from the US, the UK, Australia, and Poland. The coalition forces were able to topple Saddam Hussein's regime and capture Iraq's major cities in just three weeks, sustaining few casualties. However, despite the defeat of conventional military forces in Iraq, an insurgency has continued an intense guerrilla war in the nation in the years since military victory was announced, resulting in thousands of coalition military, insurgent, and civilian deaths.

The invasion of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War, which lasted from 2003 to 2011. The war ended with the US declaring an end to the conflict in December 2011, nearly ten years after the fighting began.

The US war in Iraq cost the country nearly $2 trillion

The US war in Iraq has cost the country nearly $2 trillion. The war, which began in March 2003, was based on the false claim that Saddam Hussein's regime was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. The US spent nearly $2 trillion deposing Hussein and fighting the insurgencies that arose in his wake.

The war resulted in the deaths of more than 4,000 US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. The conflict also had a significant human, social, economic, and environmental toll, with an estimated 315,000 people dying from direct war violence in Iraq, and the reverberating effects of the war continuing to kill and sicken hundreds of thousands more. The rise of the Islamic State militant group and its terror attacks throughout the Middle East can also be traced back to the power vacuum left by the US invasion.

The financial cost of the war includes not only the direct spending by the Pentagon but also the interest paid on the funds borrowed to finance the war, the cost of veteran care, and the cost of equipment loss and replacement. The war also resulted in the elimination of non-essential expenses for the US Army, such as travel and civilian hiring.

The human cost of the war is even more devastating, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost and millions of people displaced. The true cost of the war is still being reckoned, even two decades later, as the US continues to grapple with the consequences of its decision to invade Iraq.

The US war in Afghanistan ended in August 2021

The war began in 2001, when the US, with British support, started a bombing campaign against the Taliban, officially launching Operation Enduring Freedom. The war was triggered by the September 11 attacks, which were carried out by al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, had been given sanctuary by the Taliban, and the US vowed to win the war against terrorism.

The first wave of conventional ground forces arrived 12 days after the bombing campaign began, and the Taliban regime unravelled rapidly. The end of the Taliban regime is generally tied to November 2001, when the Taliban surrendered Kandahar and Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban leader, fled the city.

However, despite the official fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda leaders continued to hide out in the mountains. The US and its allies were soon drawn into a counterinsurgency, with the Taliban making a resurgence. In 2009, President Obama announced a major escalation of the US mission, committing an additional 30,000 forces to the fight.

In 2014, the US and NATO handed over control of international security forces to Afghanistan, and the focus shifted to military training and counterterrorism-driven operations.

In 2021, President Biden announced a plan to withdraw all combat troops by September 11, 2021, and the last US military forces departed Afghanistan on the 30th of August, leaving the country under Taliban rule.

The US war in Iraq ended in December 2011

The invasion was an immediate success, with the coalition forces quickly overwhelming the Iraqi army and toppling Hussein's government. However, the subsequent occupation of Iraq proved far more challenging, as the country descended into a violent insurgency and sectarian violence. Despite the capture and execution of Hussein, the US struggled to establish a stable and democratic Iraqi government, and the war became deeply unpopular with the American public.

In 2007, US President George W. Bush announced a "surge" of 20,000 additional troops to Iraq, in an attempt to stabilise the country. This strategy was credited with helping to reduce violence, but the US continued to face a resilient insurgency and struggled to achieve its goals in Iraq.

In 2008, President Barack Obama was elected on a platform that included withdrawing US combat troops from Iraq. Obama fulfilled this pledge in December 2011, marking the end of the US war in Iraq. However, a small number of US troops remain in Iraq today, primarily to assist with counterterrorism efforts and to advise and train Iraqi security forces.

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