War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

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For other uses, see War in Afghanistan (disambiguation).

War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Part of the Civil war in Afghanistan and the so-called "War on Terror" Clockwise from top-left: British marine commandos take part in the clearance of Nad-e Ali District of Helmand province; two F/A-18 strike fighters conduct combat missions over Afghanistan; an Afghan soldier during an operation to secure a compound in Helmand Province; A French soldier patrols a valley in Kapisa province; US marines prepare to board buses shortly after arriving in southern Afghanistan; Taliban fighters in a cave hideout; US soldiers prepare to fire a mortar during a mission in Paktika province. Date October 7, 2001 – present (9 years, 9 days)&0000000000000009000000&0000000000000009000000 Location Afghanistan Status Conflict ongoing Fall of the Taliban government Destruction of al-Qaeda camps Taliban insurgency War in North-West Pakistan Belligerents Coalition: NATO – ISAF[1] (119,819) United States – 78,430 United Kingdom – 9,500 Germany – 4,590 France – 3,750 Italy – 3,400 Canada – 2,830 Poland – 2,630 Romania – 1,750 Turkey – 1,740 Spain – 1,555 Australia – 1,550 35 other countries  Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom participants 2001 Invasion: United States United Kingdom Northern Alliance Insurgent groups: Taliban al-Qaeda IMU HI-Gulbuddin HI-Khalis Haqqani network Lashkar-e-Toiba JeM[2] TTP IEW TNSM IJU[3] 2001 Invasion: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan al-Qaeda Commanders and leaders David Petraeus Stanley McChrystal David D. McKiernan Karl W. Eikenberry David Barno Dan K. McNeill Paul T. Mikolashek Tommy Franks Nick Parker David Richards John McColl Rick Hillier Andrew Leslie Mauro del Vecchio Jean-Louis Py Goetz Gliemeroth Norbert Van Heyst Hilmi Akin Zorlu Hamid Karzai Bismillah Khan Mohammadi Mohammed Fahim Abdul Rashid Dostum Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor Mohammed Omar Obaidullah Akhund (P.O.W.) Mullah Dadullah   (K.I.A.) Mullah Bakht Mohammed (P.O.W.) Jalaluddin Haqqani Osama bin Laden Ayman al-Zawahiri Mustafa Abu al-Yazid   (K.I.A.) Muhammad Atef   (K.I.A.) Abu Laith al-Libi   (K.I.A.) IMU Command Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Sirajuddin Haqqani Tehrik-i-Taliban command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (P.O.W.) Maulana Fazlullah Strength NATO – ISAF: 119,819[1] Afghan National Army: 119,388 (2010)[4] Afghan National Police: 104,459 (2010)[5] US Forces (non-ISAF): 48,000 (2008)[6][7] Total: 391,666 (2010) Taliban: ~36,000[8] al-Qaeda: 50-500[9][10] Hezbi Islami: 1,000[11] IMU: 5,000–10,000[12] Haqqani militia: 1,000[11] TTP: 30,000–35,000[13] Quetta Shura:10,000[14] TNSM:4,500 Total: 93,000 (2010) Casualties and losses Afghan Security Forces: 6,100+ killed [15] [16] Afghan Northern Alliance: 200 killed[17][18][19][20] Coalition : Killed: 2,081 (US: 1,266, UK: 337, Canada: 152 Others: 326)[21] Wounded: 12,523+ (US: 7,819,[22] UK: 4,091,[23][24] Canada: 400+,[25] Australia: 150,[26] Romania: 44,[27] Estonia: 43[28]) Pakistan Killed: 14 Wounded: 3[29] Contractors : Killed: 1,764*[30][31] Wounded & injured: 59,465*[30][31] Taliban and Insurgents Killed or captured: 30,000+ Wounded: unknown Civilian deaths: 14,000-34,000 approx. *Casualty numbers from the US Dept. of Labor for Contractors are combined for Iraq and Afghanistan.

[show] v • d • e Afghan Civil War Soviet intervention – Government collapse – Anarchy – Taliban control – NATO intervention

[show] v • d • e War in North-West Pakistan Wana – Lal Masjid – Mir Ali – 1st Swat – Sararogha Fort – Bajaur – Angoor Ada – Black Thunderstorm – 2nd Swat – Khyber Pass – Rah-e-Nijat – Orakzai American airstrikes Damadola – Chenagai – Daande Darpkhel – Miranshah – Baghar Cheena – Laghman – Shrawangai Nazarkhel 2009 refugee crisis in Pakistan

[show] v • d • e War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Timelines 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 Battles and operations [show] v • d • e Invasion Crescent Wind – Rhino – Mazari Sharif – Kunduz – Herat – Kabul – Tawin Kowt – Qala-i-Jangi – Kandahar – Tora Bora – Dasht-i-Leili [show] v • d • e Helmand Province Campaign Lejay – Eagle Fury – Lashkar Gah – Mountain Thrust – Sangin – Mountain Fury – Now Zad – Achilles – Musa Qala I – Volcano – Kryptonite – Silver – Pickaxe-Handle – Hammer – Nasrat – Musa Qala II – Garmsir – Eagle's Summit – Hyderabad – Red Dagger – Shahi Tandar – Diesel – Mar Lewe – Panther's Claw – Strike of the Sword – Dahaneh – Cobra's Anger – Moshtarak – Tor Shezada [show] v • d • e Kandahar Province Medusa – Avalanche – Kaika – Panjwaii – Falcon Summitt – Hoover – Luger – Kamin – Shah Wali Kot – 1st Kandahar – Spin Boldak – Sarposa Prison – Arghandab – Wech Baghtu – 2nd Kandahar – Nadahan wedding bombing – Hamkari – Dragon Strike – [show] v • d • e Kabul Province 1st Kabul – Hotel Serena – 1st Indian Embassy – Uzbin – Feb 2009 Kabul raid – 2nd Indian Embassy – Bakhtar guest house – NATO headquarters – Jan 2010 Kabul raid – Feb 2010 Kabul raid – May 2010 Kabul bombing – NATO convoy [show] v • d • e Kunduz Province Campaign Kunduz airstrike – Oqab – Sahda Ehlm – Gala-e Gorg – Harekate Yolo – Karez Anaconda – Takur Ghar – Warrior Sweep – Jacana – Haven Denial – Mountain Viper – Mountain Resolve – Asbury Park – Red Wings – Perth – Jaji border incident – Chora – Nangar Khel – South Korean hostage – Firebase Anaconda – Wanat – Shewan – Balamorghab – Alasay – Kamdesh – Derapet – Narang – Khataba Airstrikes Gora Prai – Azizabad – Granai – Deh Bala – Sangin – Uruzgan Insurgent attacks Bagram Air Base – Baghlan – Camp Chapman

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7th, 2001,^[32] as the US military's Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was launched, along with the British military, in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US. The UK has, since 2002, led its own military operation, Operation Herrick, as part of the same war in Afghanistan. The character of the war evolved from a violent struggle by U.S.-led forces against Al-Qaeda and its Taliban supporters, to a complex counterinsurgency effort by U.S.-led forces, against Afghans who claim to be trying to expel those U.S.-led forces. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, the majority of whom have been civilians.

The first phase of the war was the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001, when the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom, which they claimed had the goal of "removing the safe haven to Al-Qaeda and its use of the Afghan territory as a base of operations for anti-U.S. terrorist activities".^{[citation needed]}Northern Alliance, quickly ousted the Taliban regime. During the following Karzai administration, the character of the war shifted to an effort aimed at smothering an insurgency hostile to the US-backed Karzai government, in which the insurgents preferred not to directly confront the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops, but blended into the local population and mainly used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and suicide bombings. In that first phase, U.S. and coalition forces, working with the Afghan opposition forces of the

The U.S. government claimed that aim of their invasion was to find Osama bin Laden and other high-ranking Al-Qaeda members to be put on trial, to destroy the organization of Al-Qaeda, and to remove the Taliban regime which supported and gave safe harbor to it. The Bush administration stated that, as policy, it would not distinguish between terrorist organizations and nations or governments that harbored them.

Another ongoing operation is the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was established by the UN Security Council at the end of December 2001 to secure Kabul and the surrounding areas. NATO assumed control of ISAF in 2003. By July 23, 2009, ISAF had around 64,500 troops from 42 countries, with NATO members providing the core of the force. The NATO commitment is particularly important to the United States because it appears to give international legitimacy to the war.^[33] The United States has approximately 29,950 troops in ISAF.

The US and UK led the aerial bombing, in support of ground forces supplied primarily by the Afghan Northern Alliance. In 2002, American, British and CanadianAustralia. Later, NATO troops were added. infantry were committed, along with special forces from several allied nations, including

The initial attack removed the Taliban from power, but Taliban forces have since regained strength.^[34][35] Since 2006, Afghanistan has experienced increased Taliban-led insurgent activity, record-high levels of illegal drug production, with participation by Northern Alliance druglords in the Karzai regime,^[36][37] and a corrupt government with limited control outside of Kabul.^[38][39] The Taliban can sustain itself indefinitely, according to a December 2009 briefing by the top U.S. intelligence officer in Afghanistan.

A U.S. Jeep in Helmand Province.

On December 1, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama^[40] He also proposed to begin troop withdrawals 18 months from that date.^[41][42] The following day, the American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, cautioned that the timeline was flexible and “is not an absolute”^[43] and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, when asked by a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee if it is possible that no soldiers would be withdrawn in July 2011, responded, "The president, as commander in chief, always has the option to adjust his decisions." ^[44] announced that he would escalate U.S. military involvement by deploying an additional 30,000 soldiers over a period of six months.

On January 26, 2010, at the International Conference on Afghanistan in London, which brought together some 70 countries and organizations,^[45] Afghan President Hamid Karzai told world leaders that he intended to reach out to the top echelons of the Taliban within a few weeks with a peace initiative.^[46] Karzai set the framework for dialogue with Taliban leaders when he called on the group's leadership to take part in a "loya jirga"—or large assembly of elders—to initiate peace talks.^[47]

Opinion polls have shown decreased support for the war of occupation since 2001. Polls in 2010 show that the majority of people in the U.S.A., the U.K., Australia, and several N.A.T.O. countries are opposed to their governments waging war in Afghanistan. (See: International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan)

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