• A military invasion of Afghanistan was launched by the U.S. and the U.K. in October of 2001, largely in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and with the intent of removing the Taliban regime from power. NATO assumed control of the operation in 2003. In February 2009 President Barack Obama approved sending 17,000 additional US troops to the region to battle ongoing threats from insurgents.Minneapolis Star Tribune: Obama approves adding 17,000 troops for war in Afghanistan... (February 17, 2009)

  For more on the background of this current conflict, see Soviet Afghan War.

  
  

• Fast Facts

  1. Began on October 7, 2001
  2. Osama Bin Laden operating Al Qaeda from Afghanistan since 1996
  3. U.S. allies: Britain, Northern Alliance, NATO
  4. Known as Operation Enduring Freedom
  5. Has failed to lead to the capture of Osama Bin Laden
  6. Taliban has retaken power in some regions of the nation since the invasionCouncil on Foreign Relations: The Taliban in Afghanistan
  7. Hamid Karzai elected President of Afghanistan in 2004 election

• Military Campaign

  The United States and the United Kingdom led the aerial assault, with ground forces supplied primarily by the Northern Alliance. In 2002, American, British and Canadian infantry were committed, along with special forces from several allied nations. These forces were later joined by NATO forces.

• Operation Enduring Freedom

  The Afghanistan War or Operation Enduring Freedom, began on October 7, 2001 and was launched by the United States and the United Kingdom in response to the September 11 attacks. It was the first military campaign in the War on Terrorism. The stated purpose of the invasion was the capture Osama Bin Laden, the destruction of Al-Qaeda, and the overthrow of the Taliban.

• Progress of the Afghanistan War

  After being removed from power in the initial assault the Taliban has regained some strength. Overall the war has been less successful in achieving the goal of restricting Al-Qaeda's movement. Since 2006, Afghanistan has seen threats to its stability from a Taliban-led insurgency, a growing illegal drug trade primarily focused on opium production and a fragile government with limited control outside of Kabul.

  On August 18-19, 2008, the Taliban ambushed French troops killing ten and wounding twenty-one soldiers. The French soldiers were attacked by approximately 100 insurgents in the district of Sarobi, east of Kabul.In a separate incident, three U.S. soldiers were wounded in an attack on Camp Salerno.IHT.com: Taliban Mount Ferocious Assaults... (August 19, 2008)

  On September 3, 2008, a raid took place in the Angor Adda area of Pakistan by U.S. and Afghan military assault members. There is speculation that an important al-Qaeda militant was the intended target. At least 20 people died in the raid.Dispatch Online: US Forces Kill 20... (September 4, 2008)

  The Afghan government announced on October 19, 2008, that Taliban forces had hijacked a bus and killed 30 to 40 civilians in the country's violent southern region.CNN.com: Taliban fighters ambush, kill bus passengers(October 19, 2008) Up to 30 of the victims were decapitated.International Herald Tribune: Taliban behead 30 men pulled from bus (October 19, 2008) A Taliban spokesman said that the victims were all Afghan soldiers, but government officials called the claim impossible.CNN.com: Taliban fighters ambush, kill bus passengers(October 19, 2008)

  On March 26, 2009, a U.S. military official confirmed that the Obama administration would be sending an additional 4,000 troops to the region. The new set of troops is largely composed of a brigade of military trainers requested by commanders in Afghanistan. The brigade is addition to the 17,000 troops already announced for deployment in the country. An official statement is expected to take place on March 27, 2009.CNN: 4,000 more troops set for Afghanistan, officials say

• Missing Weapons

  A February 2009 report revealed that the U.S. Military failed to keep complete records on at least 220,000 weapons. The report reads that many weapons provided to the Afghan army from the U.S. militairy were at "serious risk of theft or loss."BBC News: US 'lost track of Afghan weapons'

  On February 18, 2009 a top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said that the 17,000 troops President Barack Obama has pledged to send are not enough, and that the U.S. will need to maintain 60,000 troops in Afghanistan for 3-4 years to control insurgency.Washington Post: ['Sustained' Push Seen in Afghanistan (February 18, 2009)

• 2009 Car Bombing

  On March 4, 2009, a car bomb exploded outside of Bagram airbase injuring at least three people. The bombing is believed to have been a suicide bombing. Those injured were civilian contractors according to a military spokesperson.BBC News: Blasts Target Main US Afghan Base (March 4, 2009)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Soviet Afghan War | Battle of Musa Qala | Zalmay Khalilzad | Iraq War | George W. Bush | Osama Bin Laden | Taliban | Pat Tillman | War on Terror | Afghanistan | Amnesty International | U.S. National Guard | Nicolas Sarkozy | Taliban Attacks French Troops | Camp Anaconda |Army John Doe Letters | Mullah Omar | White Phosphorus | David McKiernan | Stanley McChrystal

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