On October 15, 1999 the United Nations Security Council officially declared the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorist groups and imposed sanctions on all their activity. Two years later, in 2001, the commander of the Northern Alliance, an anti-terrorist coalition, Ahmad Shah Massoud is assassinated by al-Qaeda. This was a major loss for the anti-terrorist resistance, as it gave them the opportunity to take out future attacks.
On September 11, 2001 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial aircrafts, crashing them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon where nearly 3000 people were killed. This attack, along with the assassination of Massoud, gave the infamous Osama bin Laden the security and protection of the Taliban. President George W. Bush affirms the nation that the United States will win the war on terrorism. As the world scrambles in fear of what will happen next, President Bush announces a resolution allowing the use of force upon those who were involved in the 9/11 attack in hopes of combatting terrorism. With this, America’s longest war officially began.
In October, 2001 the US, with British support, start a bombing campaign against the Taliban. This was the event that officially launched Operation Enduring Freedom, which was later joined by Canada, France, Germany, and Australia. The Taliban begins the retreat and seems to crumble under the pressure of so many powerful nations. This, however, resulted in extreme violence and the UN established an administration in which peacekeepers would be sent to Afghanistan.
After tracking down al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, battle breaks out between Afghan and al-Qaeda militants in Kabul. US forces did not get involved, and as a result bin Laden escaped. After the fall of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, it was decided there needed to be a change in government. The UN invites major Afghan leaders and members of the Northern Alliance to a conference where the Bonn Agreement was established. This agreement, with Iranian diplomatic support, installed Hamid Karzai as interim head of the Afghan government and established a peacekeeping force in Kabul. Karzai was later chosen to be the head of the country’s new transitional government in 2002.
On December 9, 2001 the Taliban collapses and their regime is ended after surrendering Kandahar. Taliban leaders flee, however other members and al-Qaeda are still in hiding throughout the country. The US partook in ground warfare in March 2002 with Operation Anaconda, however it was not effective enough.
In 2002 President Bush called for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. This led the nation to establish a transitional government and a reconstruction model. In 2003 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declared an end to major combat, consistent with the end of violence in Iraq. The goal of this was to open the door for transition, transformation, reconstruction, and aid from other nations.
In 2004 Afghan delegates agreed on a constitution for the country in hopes of establishing a democracy. A US ambassador states, “Afghans have seized the opportunity provided by the United States and its international partners to lay the foundation for democratic institutions and provide a framework for national elections”. The same year Afghanistan had their first national balloting, with Karzai being the first democratically elected leader. Three weeks after the election, Osama bin Laden resurfaces by releasing a taped message stating “We want to restore freedom to our nation, just as you lay waste to our nation”. As a result of this President Bush and Karzai meet and establish their mutual hopes and goals for Afghanistan and putting an end to terrorism, ultimately establishing an alliance. The nation only furthers democratically with more local and council elections, nearly half of the ballots cast being women.
In the summer of 2006 violence and intense fighting increased throughout Afghanistan, with the government taking the blame. The UN works tirelessly to establish a plan to make Afghanistan a stable democracy, however many allies were not willing to provide support and resources to make this possible. In a huge success by the US, Afghan, and NATO forces, Taliban military leader Mullah Dadullah is killed in a joint operation. Dadullah was believed to be a key leader in Taliban terrorism activities, kidnappings, and suicide bombings.
Upon his election in 2009, President Barack Obama took the Afghan situation very seriously and recommitted the US to combatting the resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. President Obama decided to change US strategy by sending support to Pakistan, as a stable Pakistan would only help stabilize Afghanistan. Pressure was put on NATO to send in forces to help rebuild and provide security. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates replaces the top US commander in Afghanistan with counterinsurgency and special operations guru General Stanley A. McChrystal, as he was said to take a more “aggressive and innovative” approach.
On May 1, 2011 al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was assassinated by US forces in Pakistan. Bin Laden was America’s primary target for ten years prior and President Obama was prepared to withdraw from the war, however he was encouraged to sustain military engagement. Troops were still occupying Afghanistan and Pakistan, however there was a major troop drawdown. In 2014 Obama officially announced troop withdrawal by the end of 2016, while still taking action against the remaining forces of al-Qaeda.
Under President Trump in 2017, the US dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb on suspected Islamic State militants in a cave comlex. This exposed the power of the Islamic State still inhabiting Afghanistan, resulting in the addition of more US troops in the nation. As the US escalates in military forces, the Taliban launches major attacks in Kabul killing hundreds.
As President Biden came into power in 2020, the US and the Taliban signed a deal in hopes of peace and peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan continue. In the same year Biden announces troop withdrawal and plans to complete it by September 11, 2021. In this time the Taliban takes over the government, stating they will form an “open, inclusive Islamic government”. The US still continued its troop withdrawal and this was completed on August 30, 2021 officially ending the war in Afghanistan.
The war started as it had begun, with Afghanistan ruled by an Islamic Emirate, most of the same Taliban leaders in government as in the 90s, and the same regime and policies prescribing acceptable political and social behavior. There was a huge opportunity for change in Afghan society and government that was squandered on the basis of lack of support.