War's Prelude: The President's Declaration Of War On Afghanistan

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, US President George W. Bush declared a 'War on Terror' and demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, the terrorist network responsible for the attacks. When the Taliban refused, Bush issued an ultimatum, and the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, marking the start of the War in Afghanistan.

The US-led coalition's invasion of Afghanistan

The invasion began on October 7, 2001, with air strikes on 31 targets across Afghanistan, including Taliban training camps and air defences. The United States was joined by the United Kingdom in the initial strikes, with other countries providing logistical support. Within a few days, most of the Taliban's outdated air defences were destroyed, and the campaign shifted to focus on command, control, and communications targets.

On the ground, US and UK special forces worked with anti-Taliban groups, known as the Northern Alliance, to force the Taliban from their strongholds. The Northern Alliance had been locked in a losing fight with the Taliban during the Afghan Civil War and controlled only a small area of the country before the US-led invasion. With US support, the Northern Alliance was able to make rapid progress, capturing Kabul on November 13 and toppling the Taliban by December 17.

Despite the swift overthrow of the Taliban, most members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban's leadership, including Osama bin Laden, escaped into neighbouring Pakistan or retreated to remote regions within Afghanistan. The Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001, which aimed to capture bin Laden, ended with his escape into Pakistan with the help of Afghan and Pakistani forces.

The invasion led to the establishment of a transitional government in Afghanistan, led by Hamid Karzai, and the creation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to oversee military operations and train the new Afghan National Security Forces. The Taliban, meanwhile, reorganised and launched an insurgency against the US-led coalition, beginning a protracted conflict that would last for two decades.

The Taliban's refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden

In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the US National Security Council agreed that military action would probably need to be taken against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. However, President George W. Bush decided to issue an ultimatum to the Taliban first, demanding that they hand over Osama bin Laden, "close immediately every terrorist training camp, hand over every terrorist and their supporters, and give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection."

The Taliban refused to comply with the US ultimatum, stating that they required evidence of bin Laden's guilt. They also argued that bin Laden was protected by the traditional Pashtun laws of hospitality. Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, decided that "turning over Osama would only be a disgrace for us and Islamic thought and belief would be a weakness", and that the US would continue making demands after surrendering bin Laden, who he claimed was innocent.

The US rejected the Taliban's counter-offer to turn over bin Laden for trial in a third country if the US presented evidence against him and stopped air attacks. President Bush reiterated that there was no need to discuss bin Laden's innocence or guilt, and that the Taliban simply needed to turn him over.

The Taliban's refusal to hand over bin Laden was a key factor in the US decision to take military action, with Bush stating that the Taliban must turn [bin Laden] over, turn his cohorts over, turn any hostages they hold over for the bombing to stop. The US also demanded that the Taliban destroy terrorist camps and release any hostages.

The Taliban's refusal to hand over bin Laden was indicative of a broader unwillingness to cooperate with US demands. In addition to demanding that the Taliban hand over bin Laden, the US also called on the Taliban to surrender all members of his al-Qaeda network and destroy terrorist camps. The Taliban's refusal to comply with these demands led to the US decision to take military action, marking the start of the War in Afghanistan.

The War on Terror

The war was declared by President George W. Bush, who demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders. When the Taliban refused, Bush declared a 'War on Terror', stating that defeating terrorism was now the world's fight.

The war began with an invasion of Afghanistan, with the goal of toppling the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and establishing the Islamic Republic. The Taliban and its allies were expelled from major population centres by US-led forces, but bin Laden fled to neighbouring Pakistan.

The Taliban's resurgence

• The Taliban regrouped and re-strategized after their initial defeat. They reorganized under their founder, Mullah Omar, and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces.
• The Taliban's use of guerrilla warfare tactics, including suicide attacks and roadside bombs, was effective in causing heavy casualties.
• The Taliban exploited the sluggish pace of reconstruction, allegations of prisoner abuse, widespread corruption in the Afghan government, and civilian casualties caused by US and NATO bombings.
• The Taliban received significant funding, access to safe houses, and political support from Pakistan.
• The US and its allies lacked a clear and unified goal in Afghanistan beyond counter-terrorism objectives.
• The Afghan army was poorly trained and equipped, which further enabled the Taliban.
• The US and its allies made several strategic mistakes, including issuing an ultimatum to the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden without providing evidence of his involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
• The US and its allies underestimated the Taliban's strength and resilience, and failed to negotiate with them or include them in the new Afghan government.
• The focus of the US and its allies shifted to Iraq, diverting attention and resources away from Afghanistan.
• The US and its allies failed to adequately address the underlying issues driving the conflict, such as tribalism and the strong influence of Islam on Afghan society and politics.
• The US and its allies failed to effectively counter the Taliban's messaging and propaganda, which portrayed them as a resistance movement against foreign occupation.
• The US and its allies failed to gain the support of the local population, who increasingly saw the Taliban as a lesser evil compared to the corruption and ineffectiveness of the Afghan government.
• The withdrawal of US and NATO troops left a security vacuum that the Taliban was quick to exploit.

The US-Taliban deal

The deal was a conditional peace deal that paved the way for a full US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the start of intra-Afghan talks on a political settlement of the conflict. The agreement was not a final peace deal and was filled with ambiguity. It was only the first step to ending the war, and the bigger challenge was achieving a peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The deal addressed four issues: reducing violence, withdrawing foreign troops, starting intra-Afghan negotiations, and guaranteeing Afghanistan wouldn't become a refuge for terrorists.

The US agreed to reduce its troops in the country from 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days. If the Taliban followed through on its commitments, all US and other foreign troops would leave Afghanistan within 14 months. The Taliban agreed to start talks with the Afghan government and guaranteed that Afghanistan would not be used by any of its members or other terrorist groups to threaten the security of the US and its allies.

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