The Afghanistan War's Lingering Legacy: A Nation's Struggle And The World's Response

The Afghanistan War was an international conflict that began in 2001 and was triggered by the September 11 attacks. The war was fought between an international coalition led by the USA and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which harboured Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organisation, Al-Qaeda. The conflict consisted of three phases: the first was toppling the Taliban regime, the second was defeating the Taliban militarily and rebuilding core institutions of the Afghan state, and the third was a turn to classic counterinsurgency doctrine. The war ended in 2021 with the withdrawal of international forces and the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan.

The US-led coalition's invasion of Afghanistan in 2001

The invasion began on October 7, 2001, with an intense bombing campaign by American and British forces. The US was joined by other nations, including France, Germany, Australia, and Canada, and later by troops from the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance rebels. The invasion was the opening salvo in what became the longest war in US history.

The invasion was dubbed "Operation Enduring Freedom" in US military parlance. The Taliban, which had imposed its extremist version of Islam on the country, perpetrated countless human rights abuses, especially against women, girls, and ethnic Hazaras. During their rule, large numbers of Afghans lived in utter poverty, and as many as 4 million Afghans suffered from starvation.

In the weeks prior to the invasion, both the US and the UN Security Council had demanded that the Taliban turn over Osama bin Laden for prosecution. After deeming the Taliban's counteroffers unsatisfactory, the invasion began with an aerial bombardment of Taliban and al-Qaeda installations in several Afghan cities. Other coalition planes flew in airdrops of humanitarian supplies for Afghan civilians.

After the air campaign softened Taliban defenses, the coalition began a ground invasion, with Northern Alliance forces providing most of the troops and the US 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.

Al-Qaeda fighters continued to hide out in Afghanistan's mountainous Tora Bora region, where they were engaged by anti-Taliban Afghan forces, backed by US Special Forces troops. Al-Qaeda soon initiated a truce, which is now believed to have been a ploy to allow Osama bin Laden and other key al-Qaeda members time to escape into neighboring Pakistan. By mid-December, the bunker and cave complex used by al-Qaeda at Tora Bora had been captured, but there was no sign of bin Laden.

The conflict officially ended with the 2021 Taliban offensive, which overthrew the Islamic Republic and re-established the Islamic Emirate.

The fall of the Taliban regime and formation of a new government

The fall of the Taliban regime and the formation of a new government in Afghanistan was a gradual process that took place between 2001 and 2004.

In 2001, the Taliban regime was removed from power by an international coalition led by the USA. This coalition included British forces and, at its peak, consisted of more than 130,000 NATO troops on the ground.

Following the fall of the Taliban, an interim government was formed under the leadership of Hamid Karzai. This interim government was established at a UN-sponsored conference in Bonn, Germany, in December 2001. The conference was attended by major Afghan factions, including the Northern Alliance and a group led by the former king. Notably, the Taliban were not invited to the conference. The Bonn Agreement, which was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 1383, installed Karzai as the head of the interim administration. It also created an international peacekeeping force to maintain security in Kabul.

In the following months, the new government began to establish its authority across the country. In January 2002, the first contingent of international peacekeepers arrived in Afghanistan. In March, the UN established the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to assist the interim government in laying the foundations for sustainable peace and development in the country. In June, the interim government began to take control of the country's security, with the Northern Alliance handing over Kabul to international forces.

In October 2004, Afghanistan held its first democratic elections since the fall of the Taliban. Hamid Karzai was elected as the country's president with 55% of the vote. This was followed by parliamentary elections in 2005, which saw dozens of women claim seats in parliament.

However, despite these democratic developments, the new government in Afghanistan faced significant challenges. Karzai was widely seen as a weak leader, and his government was beset by corruption. The country also continued to suffer from violence and instability, with the Taliban reasserting its presence and adopting new tactics such as suicide bombings and buried bombs.

In summary, the fall of the Taliban regime and the formation of a new government in Afghanistan was a complex and protracted process. It involved the removal of the Taliban from power by an international coalition, the establishment of an interim government led by Hamid Karzai, and a gradual process of establishing security and holding democratic elections. However, the new government faced ongoing challenges, including violence, instability, and corruption.

The hunt for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda

Bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian-born Islamist dissident and militant leader. He was one of more than 50 children of a self-made billionaire, Muhammad bin Laden, who had close ties to the Saudi royal family. Osama bin Laden studied business administration at university, where he also received instruction in religious studies. He was a devout Sunni Muslim and became increasingly hostile to the US, opposing the US military presence in Saudi Arabia and Somalia.

Bin Laden founded al-Qaeda, or "the Base", in 1988 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 Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan. Bin Laden formulated plans to attack the West, issuing fatwas, or rulings on Islamic law, indicating that attacks on the US and its citizens were proper and necessary.

In 1996, bin Laden issued a fatwa titled "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places", which was published by Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a London-based newspaper. In it, he declared holy war against the US, citing the presence of US forces in Saudi Arabia as a violation of the holy sites of Islam. Bin Laden orchestrated the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa, which killed more than 200 people.

Following the 9/11 attacks, the US launched Operation Enduring Freedom, a bombing campaign against Taliban forces in Afghanistan. The war's early phase mainly involved US airstrikes on al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. After tracking bin Laden to the Tora Bora cave complex in Afghanistan, Afghan militias engaged in a fierce two-week battle, which resulted in bin Laden's escape, thought to have been on horseback to Pakistan.

In 2002, the focus shifted to reconstruction and nation-building efforts in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban reasserted its presence, and violence climbed from 2005 onwards. The Taliban's resurgence was aided by a rise in anti-American and anti-Western sentiment among Afghans, sluggish reconstruction, allegations of prisoner abuse, widespread corruption, and civilian casualties caused by US and NATO bombings.

In 2009, President Barack Obama announced a new strategy for the war effort, linking success in Afghanistan to a stable Pakistan. This strategy included the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan and the implementation of a counterinsurgency strategy.

On May 2, 2011, bin Laden was killed by US military forces in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. This operation was carried out by a small team of US Navy SEALs, and his death was announced by President Obama, who hailed it as a major success in the fight against al-Qaeda.

The role of the UK and other NATO countries

The UK and other NATO countries played a significant role in the Afghanistan War, which began in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The war was led by the USA, with British forces fighting alongside American troops. The initial aim was to destroy Al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime from power. The UK was part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was created by NATO and backed by the United Nations (UN). ISAF's role was to secure Kabul, the Afghan capital, and provide security for the redevelopment of the war-torn country.

In the early stages of the war, the UK played a key role in the Northern Alliance, which fought against the Taliban. The Northern Alliance, along with US and British forces, was instrumental in the fall of the Taliban regime. The UK also contributed to Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in Afghanistan, which worked on redevelopment projects.

As the war progressed, the UK's role evolved. In 2006, British troops were deployed to the southern province of Helmand. Their intended role was to provide stability and security for reconstruction projects. However, their presence provoked a violent response from the Taliban, and British forces found themselves engaged in heavy combat. The Taliban increasingly used Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to target British troops, leading to high casualty rates.

The UK was the second-largest contributor to ISAF, with up to 9,500 personnel deployed at its peak in 2011-2012. Overall, over 150,000 British service personnel served in Afghanistan over the course of the 20-year conflict. The UK also suffered significant casualties, with 454 British service personnel killed and over 600 suffering life-changing injuries.

In 2014, British combat troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan, and the focus shifted to training and advisory roles. However, the Taliban remained a threat, and in 2021, all international forces, including British soldiers, left Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power.

The Taliban's resurgence and US withdrawal

The US-Taliban deal led to a significant reduction in air attacks on the Taliban, which negatively impacted the Afghan National Security Forces' ability to fight the Taliban insurgency. This, in turn, allowed the Taliban to make rapid territorial gains, ultimately leading to the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021.

The US-Taliban deal also included the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, which was met with criticism from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who stated that the release of prisoners was not under the authority of the US but rather the Afghan government. Despite this, the US proceeded with the prisoner release, which was completed in September 2020.

In the months following the US-Taliban deal, the Taliban continued to launch attacks on Afghan forces and made territorial gains. By July 2021, the Taliban had captured several provincial capitals and threatened others, leading to a US decision to deploy additional troops to Kabul to facilitate evacuations.

On August 15, 2021, the Taliban seized control of Kabul as the Afghan government collapsed, marking a pivotal moment in the US withdrawal process. The US embassy was evacuated, and thousands of US and NATO personnel, as well as Afghan citizens, rushed to the Kabul airport in an attempt to flee the country.

The last US military planes left Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, marking the end of the 20-year war. The Taliban celebrated their victory with gunfire into the air, while many Afghans expressed fear and anxiety about the future under Taliban rule.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan has had significant consequences. The country now faces a collapsed economy, a humanitarian crisis, and a resurgence of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS-K. The Taliban have imposed strict restrictions on women and girls, limiting their access to education and employment.

The US and its allies have grappled with how to respond to the situation in Afghanistan, balancing the need to provide humanitarian aid with concerns about the Taliban's human rights abuses and support for terrorism. There have also been efforts to evacuate remaining Afghans who worked with US and international forces, though these efforts have been challenging and have left many still stranded in the country.

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