War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Armed conflict between NATO countries and Afghanistan

This article is about the American war in Afghanistan. For the Soviet war in Afghanistan, see Soviet–Afghan War. For the global military campaign resulting from the September 11 attacks, see War on terror. For other uses, see War in Afghanistan.

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Part of the war on terror and the Afghan conflict

Clockwise from top-left:
American troops in a firefight with Taliban insurgents in Kunar Province; An American F-15E Strike Eagle dropping 2000 pound JDAMs on a cave in eastern Afghanistan; an Afghan soldier surveying atop a Humvee; Afghan and American soldiers move through snow in Logar Province; victorious Taliban fighters after securing Kabul; an Afghan soldier surveying a valley in Parwan Province; British troops preparing to board a Chinook during Operation Black Prince
| Date| 7 October 2001 – 30 August 2021
(19 years, 10 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)

|

Location|

Afghanistan[a]

Result|  Taliban victory[32]
Territorial
changes|  Taliban control over Afghanistan increases compared to pre-intervention territory
Belligerents
Invasion (2001):

* United States
* Northern Alliance
* United Kingdom
* France
* Canada
* Italy
* Germany
* Australia
* New Zealand

|  Invasion (2001):

* Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
* Taliban
* Haqqani network

Non-state allies:

* Al-Qaeda
* 055 Brigade
* Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan[1]
Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi[2][3]
Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad[4][5]

ISAF/RS phase (2001–2021):

*  Islamic State of Afghanistan (2001–2002)
*  Afghan Transitional Authority (2002–2004)
*  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021)
*  ISAF (2001–2014; 51 countries)[6]

*  United States
*  United Kingdom
*  Canada
*  Germany
*  Australia
*  Italy
*  New Zealand
*  France
*  Turkey
*  Georgia (country)
*  Jordan
*  Bulgaria
*  Poland
*  Romania
*  Spain
*  Czech Republic
*  Macedonia
*  Denmark
*  Armenia
*  Azerbaijan
*  Finland
*  Croatia
*  Hungary
*  Norway
*  Lithuania
*  Mongolia
*  United Arab Emirates
*  Belgium
*  Portugal
*  Slovakia
*  Netherlands
*  Montenegro
*  Latvia
*  Sweden
*  Albania
*  Ukraine
*  Bosnia–Herzegovina
*  Greece
*  Ireland
*  Iceland
*  Estonia
*  Austria
*  Malaysia
*  Slovenia
*  Colombia
*  Switzerland
*  Bahrain
*  El Salvador
*  Luxembourg
*  South Korea
*  Tonga
*  Singapore

*  Resolute Support (2015–2021; 36 countries)[7]
* High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (allegedly; from 2015)[8][9]
* Khost Protection Force and other pro-government paramilitaries[10]

|  ISAF/RS phase (2001–2021):

*  Taliban

*  ·  Haqqani network[11] (from 2002)

*  al-Qaeda

*  ·  Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent[12]

* Taliban splinter groups

*  ·  Mullah Dadullah Front (from 2012)[13]
*  ·  Fidai Mahaz (from 2013)

* Supported by:

* Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin
(on and off until 2016)
* Islamic Jihad Union[14][15]
(from 2002)
* Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (until 2015)
* Turkistan Islamic Party
* Lashkar-e-Jhangvi[16]
* Pakistani Taliban[17]
* Lashkar-e-Islam
*  Iran (alleged, but denied by Iran)[18]
*  Pakistan (alleged, but denied by Pakistan)[19][20]
*  Russia (alleged, but denied by Russia)[21][22][23]
*  Saudi Arabia (alleged, but denied by Saudi Arabia)[24][25]
*  Qatar (alleged by Saudi Arabia, but denied by Qatar)[26][27]
*  China (alleged by the US, but denied by China)[28][29]

* * *

RS phase (2015–2021):

ISIL–KP (from 2015)[30]

* Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (since 2015)[31]

Commanders and leaders

List

* Hamid Karzai
* Ashraf Ghani
* George W. Bush
* Barack Obama
* Donald Trump
* Joe Biden
* Donald Rumsfeld
* Robert Gates
* Leon Panetta
* Chuck Hagel
* Ash Carter
* Jim Mattis
* Mark Esper
* Lloyd Austin
* Tony Blair
* Gordon Brown
* David Cameron
* Theresa May
* Boris Johnson
* Geoff Hoon
* John Reid
* Desmond Browne
* John Hutton
* Robert Ainsworth
* Liam Fox
* Philip Hammond
* Michael Fallon
* Gavin Williamson
* Penelope Mordaunt
* Ben Wallace
* Jean Chrétien
* Paul Martin
* Stephen Harper
* Justin Trudeau
* Gerhard Schröder
* Angela Merkel
* John Howard
* Kevin Rudd
* Julia Gillard
* Tony Abbott
* Malcolm Turnbull
* Scott Morrison
* Silvio Berlusconi
* Romano Prodi
* Mario Monti
* Enrico Letta
* Matteo Renzi
* Paolo Gentiloni
* Giuseppe Conte
* Mario Draghi
* Helen Clark
* John Key
* Bill English
* Jacinda Ardern

* * *

* Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.
* John F. Campbell
* List of former ISAF Commanders
* List of former RS Commanders
* Nangialai †[9]
* Abdul Manan Niazi †[33]

List

* Mullah Omar #
* Akhtar Mansour †
* Hibatullah Akhundzada
* Obaidullah Akhund †[34][failed verification]
* Jalaluddin Haqqani #
* Sirajuddin Haqqani
* Mullah Yaqoob
* Abdul Ghani Baradar
* Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
* Osama bin Laden †
* Ayman al-Zawahiri
* Asim Umar †

* * *

* Muhammad Rasul
* Haji Najibullah[35]

* * *

* Shahab al-Muhajir[36]
* Hafiz Saeed Khan †
* Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman[37]
* Abdul Haseeb Logari †
* Abdul Rahman Ghaleb †
* Abu Saad Erhabi †
* Abdullah Orokzai (POW)
* Qari Hekmat †
* Mufti Nemat
* Dawood Ahmad Sofi †
* Mohamed Zahran †
* Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi †

Strength

* ISAF: 130,000+ (peak strength)[38]
* Afghan National Defense and Security Forces: 307,947 (peak strength, January 2021)[39]
* Resolute Support Mission: 17,178 (peak strength, October 2019)[40]
* Defence contractors: 117,227 (peak strength, Q2 2012)[41]

* High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: 3,000–3,500[42]
* Khost Protection Force: 3,000–10,000 (2018)[43]

* Taliban: 58,000–100,000
(as of February 2021)[44]

*  ·  Haqqani network: 4,000–15,000 (2009)[45][46][47]

* HIG: 1,500–2,000+ (2014)[48]
* al-Qaeda: c. 300 in 2016[49][50][51] (c. 3,000 in 2001)[49]

* * *

* Fidai Mahaz: 8,000 (2013)[35]

* * *

ISIL–KP: 3,500–4,000 (2018, in Afghanistan)[52]
Casualties and losses

* Afghan security forces:
66,000–69,095 killed[53][54]
* Northern Alliance:
200 killed[55][56][57][58][59]
* Coalition:

* Dead: 3,579

* United States: 2,420
* United Kingdom: 457[60]
* Canada: 159
* France: 90
* Germany: 62
* Italy: 53
* Others: 338

* Wounded: 23,536

* United States: 20,093[61]
* United Kingdom: 2,188[62]
* Canada: 2,071[b][64]

* Contractors

* Dead: 3,917[54][65][66]
* Wounded: 15,000+[65][66]

* Total killed: 76,591

Taliban insurgents:
80,000+ killed[67] (2,000+ al-Qaeda fighters)[49]

* * *

ISIL–KP:
2,400+ killed[30]

* Civilians killed: 46,319[54]

* * *

* Total killed: 176,206 (per Costs of War Project)[68]
* 212,191+ (per UCDP)[69]
* Total killed in related insurgency in Pakistan: 66,650[54]

* a The continued list includes nations who have contributed fewer than 200 troops as of November 2014.[70]
* b The continued list includes nations who have contributed fewer than 200 troops as of May 2017.[71]

* v
* t
* e

Afghan conflict

* 1975 uprising
* Saur Revolution (1978)
* 1979 uprisings
* Soviet–Afghan War (1979–89)
* Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
* Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
* Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
* Islamic State–Taliban conflict (2015–present)
* Republican insurgency in Afghanistan

* v
* t
* e

Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(North-West Pakistan)

* Wana
* Sunrise
* Mirali
* Rah-e-Haq
* Earthquake
* Righteous Path
* Sherdil
* Angur Ada
* Black Thunderstorm
* Rah-e-Raast
* Janbaz
* Khyber Pass
* Rah-e-Nijat
* Khwakh Ba De Sham
* Mohmand
* Neptune Spear
* Koh-e-Sufaid
* Zarb-e-Azb
* Khyber
* Ghazi
* Radd-ul-Fasaad
* Bannu
* North Waziristan

American airstrikes
Damadola
Chenagai
Dande Darpakhel
Miramshah
Baghar China
Laghman
Shrawangai Nazarkhel
Datta Khel
Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan:

* Spera and Shultan
* Paktika

* * *

* Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes (since 2003)
* Pakistan–United States skirmishes (2008–2012)
* 2009 refugee crisis in Pakistan
* Afghanistan–Pakistan clashes (2024–present)

* v
* t
* e

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

History

Timeline

* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021

Battles and operations

* v
* t
* e

Invasion

* Crescent Wind
* Rhino
* Mazar-i-Sharif
* Kunduz
* Herat
* Kabul
* Tarinkot
* Trent
* Kandahar
* Qala-i-Jangi
* Shawali Kowt
* Sayyd Alma Kalay
* Tora Bora

* v
* t
* e

Helmand Province campaign

* Lejay
* Eagle Fury
* Lashkar Gah
* 2006 Taliban offensive
* Mountain Thrust
* 1st Sangin
* Mountain Fury
* Nawzad
* Achilles
* Musa Qala I
* Volcano
* Kryptonite
* Silver
* Pickaxe-Handle
* Hammer
* Nasrat
* Musa Qala II
* Garmsir
* Eagle's Summit
* Red Dagger
* Shahi Tandar
* Diesel
* Mar Lewe
* Panther's Claw
* Strike of the Sword
* Dahaneh
* Cobra's Anger
* Moshtarak
* Tor Shezada
* Battle of Sangin
* Camp Bastion
* January 2017 Lashkargah
* Sangin
* June 2017 Lashkargah
* Camp Shorabak
* Grishk

* v
* t
* e

Kandahar Province

* 2001 Kandahar bombing
* Fall of Kandahar
* Tarnak Farm
* Mongoose
* Medusa
* Avalanche
* 2006 Taliban offensive
* Kaika
* Panjwaii
* Falcon Summit
* Hoover
* Luger
* Kamin
* Shah Wali Kot
* 2008 Kandahar
* Spin Boldak
* Sarposa
* Arghandab
* Wech Baghtu
* 2009 Kandahar
* Nadahan
* Hamkari
* Dragon Strike
* Baawar
* Battle of Kandahar
* Kandahar massacre
* 2017 Kandahar
* 2020 Kandahar

* v
* t
* e

Eastern Afghanistan

* Hazar Qadam
* Anaconda (Takur Ghar)
* Warrior Sweep
* Jacana
* Haven Denial
* Mountain Resolve
* Korangal valley (Red Wings)
* Jaji border incident
* Bagram (2007)
* South Korean hostages
* Nangar Khel
* Aranas
* Wanat
* Ebrahimkhel
* Alasay
* Bari Alai
* Ganjal
* Kamdesh
* Narang
* Khataba
* 2010 Badakhshan massacre
* Bad Pakh
* Bulldog Bite
* Barawala Kalay Valley
* Do Ab
* Asadabad
* Bagram (2014)
* Jalalabad (2015)
* Bagram (2015)
* Nangarhar
* Jalalabad (2016)
* Janikhel
* Bagram (2016)
* Mohmand Valley
* Tora Bora
* Jalalabad (January 2018)
* Jalalabad (July 2018)
* Jalalabad (September 2018)
* Charikar
* Jalalabad (2019)
* Bagram (2019)
* May 2020

* v
* t
* e

Kabul Province

* 2002
* 2008 Serena Hotel
* 2008 Indian embassy
* Uzbin
* 2009 raids
* NATO HQ
* 2009 Indian embassy
* Bakhtar
* January 2010
* February 2010
* May 2010
* 2011 Inter-Continental Hotel
* September 2011
* December 2011
* April 2012
* June 2013
* Palace
* January 2014
* 2014 Serena Hotel
* December 2014
* Park Palace
* Parliament
* 7 August 2015
* 10 August 2015
* 22 August 2015
* Spanish Embassy
* April 2016
* Canadian Embassy
* July 2016
* American University
* September 2016
* January 2017
* March 2017
* May 2017
* October 2017 mosque
* 28 December 2017
* 2018 Inter-Continental Hotel
* Ambulance
* March 2018
* 22 April 2018
* 30 April 2018
* September 2018
* 2019 mosque
* 1 July 2019
* 28 July 2019
* 7 August 2019
* 17 August 2019
* 2 and 5 September 2019
* 17 September 2019
* 6 March 2020
* Gurdwara
* May 2020
* June 2020
* July 2020
* August 2020
* September 2020
* October 2020
* November 2020
* University
* December 2020
* 2021 school
* Fall of Kabul (2021)
* 2021 hospital

* v
* t
* e

Kunduz Province

* Airlift
* Siege
* Harekate Yolo
* Karez
* Oqab
* 2009 airstrike
* Sahda Ehlm
* Gala-e Gorg
* Halmazag
* 2015 battle
* Hospital airstrike
* Hostage crisis
* 2016 battle
* Boz Qandahari
* Kunduz madrassa
* 2020

Major operations

* Mountain Viper
* Asbury Park
* 2006 Taliban offensive
* Perth
* Chora
* Firebase Anaconda
* Shewan
* Balamorghab
* Sabzak
* Derapet
* Doan
* Kunduz (2015)
* Omari
* Tarinkot
* Kunduz (2016)
* Boz Qandahari
* Darzab (2017)
* Farah
* Darzab (2018)
* Kunar (2019–2020)
* Ghazni
* 2021 Taliban offensive
* Zaranj
* Kunduz
* Herat
* Kandahar
* Lashkargah
* Kabul

Airstrikes

* Sayyd Alma Kalay
* Uruzgan wedding
* Hyderabad
* Gora Prai
* Haska Meyna/Deh Bala
* Azizabad
* Wech Baghtu
* Granai
* Kunduz (2009)
* Uruzgan helicopter
* Sangin (2010)
* Mano Gai
* Baraki Barak
* Kapisa
* Kunar
* Kunduz hospital
* Sangin (2017)
* Nangarhar
* Kunduz madrassa

Major insurgent attacks
2002

* Kabul

2007

* Attempted assassination of Dick Cheney
* S Korean hostage
* Baghlan sugar factory

2008

* Kandahar
* Spin Boldak
* Khost
* Kabul Indian embassy
* Kabul hotel

2009

* Kabul raids
* Kabul NATO
* Kandahar
* Kabul Indian embassy
* Kabul UN guesthouse
* Camp Chapman

2010

* Kabul (Jan)
* Kabul (Feb)
* Kabul (May)
* Nadahan

2011

* Logar
* Kabul hotel
* Nimruz
* Zabul
* Kabul (Sep)
* Kabul & Mazar-e-Sharif

2012

* Raids
* Camp Bastion
* FOB Salerno Attack

2013

* Farah
* Kabul court
* Kabul palace
* Jalalabad
* Herat

2014

* Kabul restaurant
* Kabul hotel
* Herat Indian consulate
* Bagram
* 1st Paktika
* 2nd Paktika
* Kabul school

2015

* Jalalabad
* Kabul hotel
* Kabul Parliament
* Khost
* Kabul police
* Kabul Airport
* Kabul NATO
* Ghazni
* Kandahar
* Kabul Spanish embassy
* Bagram

2016

* Jalalabad
* Kabul NDS
* Kunduz-Takhar highway
* Kabul Canadian embassy
* Wardak
* Kabul Hazara protest
* Kabul University
* Kabul Defense Ministry
* Mazar-i-Sharif
* Bagram

2017

* Bombings (Jan)
* Kabul hospital
* Camp Shaheen
* Kabul (May)
* Herat (Jun)
* June Lashkargah
* Herat (Aug)
* Gardez & Ghazni
* Kabul & Ghor
* Kabul Shi'ite

2018

* Kabul hotel
* Jalalabad (Save the Children)
* Kabul ambulance
* Kabul (Mar)
* Kabul (22 Apr)
* Kabul (30 Apr)
* Jalalabad (Jul)
* Baghlan
* Kabul (Sep)
* Jalalabad (Sep)

2019

* Maidan Shar
* Camp Shorabak
* Kabul mosque
* Kabul Defense Ministry
* Ghazni
* Kabul office
* Farah
* Kabul police
* Kabul wedding
* Kabul (Sep)
* Charikar & Kabul
* Qalat
* Jalalabad
* Haska Meyna
* Bagram

2020

* Kabul (6 Mar)
* Kabul gurdwara
* May
* June
* July
* August
* Jalalabad
* September
* October
* November
* Kabul University
* December

2021

* Jan-Aug
* Kabul school
* Spin Boldak

Massacres

* Dasht-i-Leili
* Shinwar
* Nangar
* Narang
* Maywand
* Khataba
* Badakhshan
* Kandahar
* FOB Delhi

Other

* U.S. urination incident
* Quran burning protests
* Insurgents' bodies
* U.S.–Afghan agreement
* United States–Taliban deal
* U.S. withdrawal
* 2011–2016
* 2020–2021
* Peace process
* 2021 Kabul airlift

The war in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict lasting from 2001 to 2021. It began with the invasion by a United States–led coalition under the name Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the September 11 attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. The Taliban and its allies were expelled from major population centers by US-led forces supporting the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, thus toppling the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate. Three years later the US-sponsored Islamic Republic was established, but by then the Taliban, led by founder Mullah Omar, had reorganized and begun an insurgency against the Afghan government and coalition forces. The conflict ended decades later as the 2021 Taliban offensive reestablished the Islamic Emirate. It was the longest war in United States military history, surpassing the Vietnam War by six months.

Following the September 11 attacks, masterminded by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, US president George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban immediately extradite him to the United States; the Taliban refused and demanded evidence of bin Laden's guilt before offering to hand him over to a neutral country. The U.S. dismissed these offers and proceeded with the invasion. After expelling the Taliban and their allies, the US-led coalition remained in Afghanistan, forming the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)—sanctioned by the United Nations—with the goal of creating a new democratic authority in the country that would prevent the Taliban from returning to power.[72] A new Afghan Interim Administration was established, and international rebuilding efforts were launched.[73] By 2003, the Taliban had reorganized and launched an widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces. Insurgents from the Taliban and other Islamist groups waged asymmetric warfare, fighting with guerrilla warfare in the countryside, suicide attacks against urban targets, and reprisals against perceived Afghan collaborators. By 2007, large parts of Afghanistan had been retaken by the Taliban.[74][75] In response, the coalition sent a major influx of troops for counter-insurgency operations, with a "clear and hold" strategy for villages and towns; this influx peaked in 2011, when roughly 140,000 foreign troops were operating under ISAF command across Afghanistan.[76]

A US covert operation in neighboring Pakistan led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, and NATO leaders began planning an exit strategy from Afghanistan.[77][78] On 28 December 2014, NATO formally ended ISAF combat operations in Afghanistan and officially transferred full security responsibility to the Afghan government. Unable to eliminate the Taliban through military means, coalition forces (and separately, the Afghan government led by Ashraf Ghani) turned to diplomacy to end the conflict.[79] These efforts culminated in the United States–Taliban deal in February 2020, which stipulated the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by 2021.[80] In exchange, the Taliban pledged to prevent any militant group from staging attacks from Afghan territory against the US and its allies.[81] However, the Afghan government was not a party to the deal and rejected its terms.[82] Coinciding with the withdrawal of troops, the Taliban launched a broad offensive throughout the summer of 2021, successfully reestablishing their control over Afghanistan, including the capital city of Kabul on 15 August. On the same day, the last president of the Islamic Republic, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country; the Taliban declared victory and the war was formally brought to a close.[83] By 30 August, the last American military aircraft departed from Afghanistan, ending the protracted US-led military presence in the country.[84][85]

Overall, the war killed an estimated 176,000–212,000+ people, including 46,319 civilians. In addition, 66,650 people were killed in the related War in North-West Pakistan.[86] While more than 5.7 million former refugees returned to Afghanistan after the 2001 invasion,[87] by the time the Taliban returned to power in 2021, 2.6 million Afghans remained refugees,[88] while another 4 million were internally displaced.[89][90]

## Names

[edit]

This twenty-year armed conflict (2001–2021) is referred to as the war in Afghanistan[91] in order to distinguish it from Afghanistan's various other wars,[92] notably the ongoing Afghan conflict of which it was a part,[93] and the Soviet–Afghan War.[94] From the perspective of the West, the war is divided between 2001 and 2014 (the ISAF mission), when most combat operations were performed by coalition forces, and 2015 to 2021 (the Resolute Support Mission), when the Afghan armed forces did most of the fighting against the Taliban. The war was named Operation Enduring Freedom from 2001 to 2014[95] and as Operation Freedom's Sentinel from 2015 to 2021 by the US.[96] Alternatively, it has been called the US war in Afghanistan.[97][98][99] In Afghanistan itself, the war is known as simply the "war in Afghanistan" (Dari: جنگ در افغانستان Jang dar Afghanistan, Pashto: د افغانستان جګړه Da Afghanistan Jagra).[100][101][102]

## Prelude

[edit]

Main article: Prelude to the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

The military situation of the Afghan Civil War in 1996 between the Taliban (red) and the Northern Alliance (blue)

### Rise of the Taliban

[edit]

The Taliban emerged from religious students known as the Talib who sought to end warlordism in Afghanistan through stricter adherence to Sharia.[103][104] On 27 September 1996, the Taliban, with military support by Pakistan and financial support from Saudi Arabia, seized Kabul and founded the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[105] The Taliban imposed their fundamentalist Deobandi interpretation of Islam in areas under their control, issuing edicts forbidding women to work outside the home, attend school or to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.[106] According to the United Nations (UN), the Taliban, while trying to consolidate control over northern and western Afghanistan, committed systematic massacres against civilians. UN officials stated that there had been "15 massacres" between 1996 and 2001, many of them targeting Shias and Hazaras.[107][108]

By 2001, the Taliban controlled as much as 90% of Afghanistan, with the Northern Alliance confined to the country's northeast corner. Fighting alongside Taliban forces were some 28,000–30,000 Pakistanis (usually also Pashtun) and 2,000–3,000 Al-Qaeda militants.[109][110][111]

### Al-Qaeda

[edit]

The 9/11 Commission in the US found that under the Taliban, Al-Qaeda was able to use Afghanistan as a place to train and teach fighters, import weapons, coordinate with other jihadists, and plot terrorist actions.[112] While Al-Qaeda maintained its own camps in Afghanistan, it also supported training camps of other organizations. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 men passed through these facilities before 9/11, most of whom were sent to fight for the Taliban against the United Front. A smaller number were inducted into Al-Qaeda.[113]

After the August 1998 United States embassy bombings were linked to bin Laden, President Bill Clinton ordered missile strikes on militant training camps in Afghanistan. US officials pressed the Taliban to surrender bin Laden. In 1999, the international community imposed sanctions on the Taliban, calling for bin Laden to be surrendered. The Taliban repeatedly rebuffed these demands. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Special Activities Division paramilitary teams were active in Afghanistan in the 1990s in clandestine operations to locate and kill or capture Osama bin Laden. These teams planned several operations but did not receive the order to proceed from President Clinton. Their efforts built relationships with Afghan leaders that proved essential in the 2001 invasion.[114]

### September 11 attacks

[edit]

Main article: September 11 attacks

Ground Zero in New York following the September 11th attacks, September 2001

On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a total of 19 men affiliated with Al-Qaeda carried out four coordinated attacks in the United States. Four commercial passenger jet airliners were hijacked.[115][116] The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and more than 2,000 people in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours from damage related to the crashes, destroying and damaging nearby buildings. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, in rural Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C., to target the White House, or the US Capitol. No one aboard the flights survived. The death toll among responders including firefighters and police was 836 as of 2009.[117] Total deaths were 2,996, including the 19 hijackers.[117]

Osama bin Laden planned and coordinated the attacks, and the US desire to hold him accountable became the casus belli for invasion. Historian Carter Malkasian writes that "seldom in history has one man so singlehandedly provoked a war." Bin Laden sought, successfully, to draw the US into an extended war similar to that fought against the Soviets.[118]: 62–64  The Taliban publicly condemned the 11 September attacks.[119] They also greatly underestimated the US's willingness to go to war. The US was mistaken in its belief that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda were almost inseparable when, in fact, they had very different goals and leaders.[118]: 65–70

### US ultimatum to the Taliban

[edit]

Immediately after the 9/11 attacks, the United States National Security Council agreed that military action would probably have to be taken against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. However, Bush decided to issue an ultimatum to the Taliban first,[118]: 54  demanding that the Taliban 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."[119] The same day, religious scholars met in Kabul, deciding that bin Laden should be surrendered; however, Mullah Omar 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.[118]: 56  The Taliban refused the ultimatum, saying that Osama bin Laden was protected by the traditional Pashtun laws of hospitality.[120][121]

In the weeks ahead and at the beginning of the US and NATO invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban demanded evidence of bin Laden's guilt but subsequently offered to hand him over to a third country if the US stopped its bombing and provided evidence of his guilt.[122][123] A Bush administration official later stated that their demands were "not subject to negotiation" and that it was "time for the Taliban to act now."[124] Covert US military action began soon after, and the War started officially on 7 October 2001.[118]: 58

## History

[edit]

Main article: History of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

### Tactical overview

[edit]

The war contained two main factions: the Coalition, which included the US and its allies (eventually supporting the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan), fighting against the Taliban, its allies, and its militias. Complicating the fight were Taliban splinter groups and other, more radical religious groups such as al-Qaeda and later the Islamic State. These radical groups sometimes fought for the Taliban, sometimes fought for their own goals, and sometimes fought against both the Taliban and the government.

Afghanistan is a rural country; in 2020, some 80% of its 33 million people lived in the countryside.[118]: 12  This predisposes warfare to rural areas, and provides ample hiding spots for guerrilla fighters. The country also has harsh winters, which favors spring or summertime military offensives after winter lulls in fighting.[125][126] Afghanistan is 99.7% Muslim,[127] which affected the ideology of both the Taliban and the Afghan government. Islam has historically allowed Afghan leaders to overcome tribal differences and conflict, and provided a sense of unity, especially against foreigners and non-Muslims. Centuries of foreign invasion by non-Muslims cemented the religious nature of resisting outsiders and the Afghan identity.[118]: 17–19  The impact of local religious leaders (mullahs) is important in Afghanistan, and they could influence the population as much as the government. Mullahs have traditionally been important in prescribing resistance to outsiders through calls for holy war or jihad.[118]: 23–24

Afghanistan is a largely tribal society, and this significantly influences Afghan society and politics. Tribalism is largely a source of division, unlike Islam. Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, comprising between 38% and 50% of the population.[128] Pashtunwali, the traditional way of life for the Pashtuns, guided most tribal decision making. Tribal unity was often weak as well due to Pashtunwali's method of dealing with feuds. Traditionally, Afghan leaders have depended on tribes to keep order in rural areas because without their cooperation the state was often ineffective and weak. Afghans were more loyal to their own community and tribe, not the state, which meant that tribes would align with either the Taliban or the Government as was most beneficial.[118]: 19–22

The significant difference in power between high-tech Coalition militaries and the guerrilla Taliban led to asymmetric warfare. Owing to their roots in the anti-Soviet Mujahideen, the Taliban carried on the guerrilla tactics developed in the 1980s. The Mujihdeen operated in small cadres of 10 to 50 men, armed with a combination of outdated and (usually looted) modern weapons.[118]: 31  The Taliban increasingly used guerrilla tactics such as suicide, car and roadside bombs (IEDs), and targeted assassinations.[129] By 2009, IEDs had become the Taliban's weapon of choice.[130] The Taliban also used insider attacks as the war drew on, by planting personnel in the Afghan military and police forces.[131]

### 2001: Invasion and early operations

[edit]

Main article: United States invasion of Afghanistan

See also: Battle of Tora Bora, Operation Anaconda, and Operation Harpoon (2002)

US Army Special Forces and US Air Force Combat Controllers with Northern Alliance troops on horseback in Samangan Province, 2001

Though the US officially invaded on 7 October 2001 by launching Operation Enduring Freedom, covert operations had begun several weeks earlier. Fifteen days after the 9/11 attack, the US covertly inserted members of the CIA's Special Activities Division into Afghanistan, forming the Northern Afghanistan Liaison Team.[132] They linked up with the Northern Alliance in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul.[133] In October, 12-man Special Forces teams began arriving in Afghanistan to work with the CIA and Northern Alliance.[133] Within a few weeks the Northern Alliance, with assistance from the US ground and air forces, captured several key cities from the Taliban.[134][135] The Taliban retreated throughout the country, holding steady only in Kunduz Province, outmatched by US air support. By November, the Taliban had lost control of most of the country.[118]: 70–75

The US did not invade alone: it began with assistance from the UK, and eventually over a dozen more countries.[136][137][138] The US and its allies drove the Taliban from power and built military bases near major cities across the country. Most al-Qaeda and Taliban were not captured, escaping to neighboring Pakistan or retreating to rural or remote mountainous regions.[139] On 20 December 2001, the United Nations authorized an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), with a mandate to help the Afghans maintain security in Kabul and surrounding areas.[140] Its mandate did not extend beyond the Kabul area for the first few years.[141] 18 countries contributed to the force in February 2002.

The CIA created Counter-terrorism Pursuit Teams staffed by Afghans at the war's beginning.[142][143] This force grew to over 3,000 by 2010 and was considered one of the "best Afghan fighting forces."[143] These units were not only effective in operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan,[144] but also expanded their operations into Pakistan.[145]

Who would lead the country became an acute political question. At the Bonn Conference in December 2001, Hamid Karzai was selected to head the Afghan Interim Administration, which after a 2002 loya jirga (grand assembly) in Kabul became the Afghan Transitional Administration. The agreement provided steps that would lead to democracy for the country.[146]

Shortly after the elevation of Karzai to the president on 5 December, the Taliban may have tried to seek a conditional surrender to Karzai. There are two conflicting accounts. The first is that an agreement, possibly signed by Mullah Omar, leader of the Taliban, was reached wherein the Taliban would surrender in exchange for immunity. The second is that the agreement was more narrowly focused on surrendering Kandahar. Taliban sources, on the other hand, say that Omar was not part of the deal and was not going to surrender Kandahar. Whatever the case, the US vetoed any sort of negotiation, in what historian Malkasian calls "one of the greatest mistakes" of the war. Omar disappeared, leaving either for another part of Afghanistan or Pakistan. The Taliban subsequently went into hiding, or fled to Pakistan, though many gave up arms as well. Most leaders and thousands of fighters went to Pakistan. Whether the Taliban had decided on an insurgency at this time is unknown.[118]: 74–84  Taliban fighters remained in hiding in the rural regions of four southern provinces: Kandahar, Zabul, Helmand and Uruzgan.[147]

Canadian soldiers from 3PPCLI, search for Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters after an air assault, approach on an objective north of Qalati Ghilji, 2002

By late November, bin Laden was at a fortified training camp in Tora Bora. The Battle of Tora Bora began on 30 November. CIA teams working with tribal militias followed bin Laden there and began to call in airstrikes to clear out the mountainous camp, with special forces soon arriving in support. While the tribal militia numbered 1,000, it was not fighting eagerly during Ramadan. While the CIA requested that United States Army Rangers be sent and Marines were ready to deploy, they were declined. Bin Laden was eventually able to escape at some point in December to Pakistan.[118]: 76–79

The invasion was a striking military success for the Coalition. Fewer than 12 US soldiers died between October and March, compared to some 15,000 Taliban killed or taken prisoner. Special forces teams and their Afghan allies had done most of the work and relatively few soldiers had been required. Karzai was a respected, legitimate, and charismatic leader. Still, according to Malkasian, the failure to capture bin Laden or negotiate with the Taliban, or include them in any way in the new government, set the course for the long war that bin Laden had dreamed of getting the US into.[118]: 86–88

In the early years of the war, Pakistan had been seen as a firm ally, and little concern had been given to its support of the Taliban. Pakistan had also helped capture numerous top Al-Qaeda leaders, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. But internally, Pakistan was providing significant funding, access to safe houses, and political support to the Taliban. Public opinion in Pakistan heavily favored the Taliban, and the US invasion was viewed very negatively. The government was in no position to expel the Taliban, lest it starts a conflict within its already fragile country. Thus the Taliban continued to use Pakistan as a base of operations and a safe haven to rebuild their strength.[118]: 129–132

### 2002–2005: Taliban resurgence

[edit]

Further information: Taliban insurgency, Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2003 in Afghanistan, 2004 in Afghanistan, and 2005 in Afghanistan

#### Coalition mistakes, Taliban start to re-organize

[edit]

After initial success, the US lacked an obvious goal in Afghanistan beyond the counter-terrorism objectives of finding senior Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders. Nation-building was initially opposed by the Bush administration, but as the US stayed, it slowly crept into the rationale for staying. In April 2002, Bush made a speech expressing a desire to rebuild Afghanistan. The US also sought to instill democracy and women's rights as a moral matter. The international community contributed to the development effort in Afghanistan, which focused on aid and creating institutions to run the country. US reconstruction efforts also focused on improving education, health care, and community development. The US also supported and funded the creation of an Afghan army in early 2002. However, the army was built slowly due to competing interests and a US belief that the Taliban were no longer a strong threat. Some in the Bush administration preferred to use the Northern Alliance and warlords as the military instead of creating a new military. The army became an afterthought and was poorly trained and equipped, which further enabled the Taliban.[118]: 89–105

The first attempt at a larger organization of Taliban groups after the invasion occurred in April 2002 in the country's south. A shura was established by former mid-level Taliban officials in Gardi Jangal a refugee camp near the Helmand border. It operated in the core southern provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul, and Uruzgan. It was composed of 23 groups of about 50 individuals each, for a total of around 1,200. In the North Waziristan District of Pakistan, Jalaluddin Haqqani had started organizing the Haqqani network after exiling there in 2001. In early 2002 their manpower was estimated at 1,400 and had a presence in Paktia Province and Khost Province in the second half of 2002 with limited activity. They were joined by members of Al-Qaeda. Operation Jacana & Operation Condor, among others, tried to flush out the Taliban with varying results.[148]: 25–29

Map detailing the spread of the Taliban insurgency, 2002–2006

Some members of the Taliban reached out to Karzai to open negotiations several times between 2002 and 2004, but the US was adamantly against this and ensured that all top Taliban leaders were blacklisted, such that the Afghan Government could not negotiate with them. Historian Malkasian argues that negotiations with the Taliban would have been low cost but highly effective at this stage and attributes it to US overconfidence and hubris, and notes that all the information that the Taliban could resurge was available but ignored.[118]: 106–111  Some Taliban leaders considered joining the political process, with meetings on the issue until 2004, though these did not result in a decision to do so.[148]: 19

From 2002 to 2005, the Taliban reorganized and planned a resurgence. Pressure on Coalition forces to hunt down terrorists led to excesses and generated some popular support for the Taliban. Coalition troops would go on missions with questionable intelligence, at one point falling prey to a false tip provided by a target's political opponents. Few high-level Taliban or al-Qaeda leaders were caught. Those captured were predominantly low-level Taliban operatives who had little information on al-Qaeda. Numerous civilians were killed in operations, including a wedding which was misinterpreted as a Taliban gathering. Repeated errors by Coalition forces drove Taliban recruitment. Many Taliban leaders who had given up arms to leave peacefully, especially after being promised amnesty by President Karzai, were increasingly harassed by the US and elements of the Afghan government. By 2004, most Taliban leaders in Afghanistan had fled back to Pakistan, where the remnants of the Taliban were hiding. Malkasian argues that the US provided significant momentum to the Taliban by its own missteps, especially by focusing on aggressive counter-terrorism and vengeance for 9/11. He further argues that these actions alone did not restart the conflict because the Taliban would have re-emerged regardless because of leaders like Mullah Omar and Jalaluddin Haqqani who had never put down arms.[118]: 119–123

US troops board a helicopter in Zabul province, 2003

The Taliban undertook relatively few actions until 2005. Pamphlets by Taliban and other groups turned up strewn in towns and the countryside in early 2003, urging Islamic faithful to rise up against US forces and other foreign soldiers in a holy war.[149] American attention was diverted from Afghanistan when US forces invaded Iraq in March 2003.[150] In May 2003, the Taliban Supreme Court's chief justice, Abdul Salam, proclaimed that the Taliban were back, regrouped, rearmed, and ready for guerrilla war to expel US forces from Afghanistan.[151]

As the summer of 2003 continued, Taliban attacks gradually increased in frequency. Dozens of Afghan government soldiers, NGO humanitarian workers, and several US soldiers died in the raids, ambushes, and rocket attacks. Besides guerrilla attacks, Taliban fighters began building up forces in the district of Dey Chopan District in Zabul Province. The Taliban decided to make a stand there. Over the course of the summer, up to 1,000 guerrillas moved there. Over 220 people, including several dozen Afghan police, were killed in August 2003.[152] On 11 August, NATO assumed control of ISAF.[153]

Taliban leader Mullah Omar reorganized the movement, and in 2003 launched an insurgency against the government and ISAF.[154][155] From the second half of 2003 and through 2004 operations started intensifying, with night letters followed by kidnappings and assassinations of government officials and collaborating village elders by 2005, with the former leaving villages in fear. Government schools and clinics were also burned down.[148]: 34

Privately, the Taliban were preparing a grand offensive against the Coalition. It was to be several years in the making so that enough strength could be gathered. Mullah Dadullah was put in charge of the offensive. His tactics were largely effective. He was responsible for introducing suicide bombing into wide use around 2004, as previously the Taliban had not been enamored by suicide or taking civilian lives; that had been an Al-Qaeda tactic. A network of madrassas in Pakistan catering to Afghan refugees provided a steady stream of extremist recruits willing to die.[118]: 125–127

A US Navy Corpsman searches for Taliban fighters in Mihtarlam, 2005

Operation Asbury Park cleared out Taliban forces in the Dey Chopan District during the summer of 2004.[156] In late 2004, the then-hidden Taliban leader Mullah Omar announced an insurgency against America and the transitional Afghan government forces to "regain the sovereignty of our country."[157] The 2004 Afghan presidential election was a major target of Taliban, though only 20 districts and 200 villages elsewhere were claimed to have been successfully prevented from voting. Karzai was elected president of the country, now named the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.[148]: 40

The US started using drone strikes in Pakistan in 2004, starting along the Federal Tribal Areas against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.[158][159]

In June and July 2005, United States Navy Seals carried out Operation Red Wings as a joint military operation in Kunar Province. The mission intended to disrupt local Taliban led by Ahmad Shah, hopefully bringing stability and facilitating the Afghan Parliament elections scheduled for September 2005. The operation was a pyrrhic victory for the Coalition, with only one survivor (dramatized in the 2013 film Lone Survivor) and 19 dead.[160][161][162] Operation Whalers would finish the job several weeks later. Taliban activity dropped significantly and Shah was seriously wounded. Shah was not able to undertake any significant operations subsequent to Operation Whalers in Kunar or neighboring provinces.[161][163]

The Taliban regained control over several villages in the south by the end of 2005, mostly because the villages were frustrated with the lack of help from the government and hoped life would be better under the Taliban. Years of planning were coming to fruition for the Taliban. By comparison, the Government was in a very weak position. The police were deeply underfunded, and the average district had only 50 officers. Some districts had no Government presence at all. Most of the country's militias (with a strength of ~100,000) had been demobilized due to international pressure to create an army, but it was still weak. Combined with an increase in tribal feuding, the conditions were perfect for a Taliban comeback.[118]: 134–136

### 2006–2007: Escalating war

[edit]

Further information: Taliban insurgency, Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2006, Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2007, and Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2008

As insurgent attacks in the country reportedly grew fourfold between 2002 and 2006,[164] by late 2007 Afghanistan was said to be in "serious danger" of falling into Taliban control despite the presence of 40,000 ISAF troops.[165]

An Apache helicopter provides protection from the air, Lwar Kowndalan in Kandahar, 2005

From January 2006, a multinational ISAF contingent started to replace US troops in southern Afghanistan. The UK formed the core of the force, along with Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Estonia.[166][167][168][169][170] In January 2006, NATO's focus in southern Afghanistan was to form Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Local Taliban figures pledged to resist.[171] Since Canada wanted to deploy in Kandahar, the UK got Helmand province. Helmand was a center of poppy production, so it seemed a good region for the anti-narcotic focused UK. In hindsight, the UK were a poor choice. Pashtun Helmandis had never forgotten the 1880 Battle of Maiwand with the British, and it proved a source of significant resistance from them.[118]: 138–142

Local intelligence suggested that the Taliban were going to wage a brutal campaign in the summer of 2006. Coalition generals sent this info up the chain of command, but decision-makers ignored warnings. The US was distracted in Iraq, and Secretary of State Rumsfeld was more interested in making the Afghan army affordable than effective. Of the 70,000 soldiers the Afghan army was supposed to have, only 26,000 had been trained and retained.[118]: 138–142

Swedish Army medic in the Mazar-e Sharif region, 2006

Spring and summer action in 2006 by the Coalition included Operation Mountain Thrust, Operation Medusa, a Dutch/Australian offensive, the Battle of Panjwaii, Operation Mountain Fury and Operation Falcon Summit. The Coalition achieved tactical victories and area denial, but the Taliban were not completely defeated.

On 29 May 2006, a US military truck that was part of a convoy in Kabul lost control and plowed into civilian vehicles, killing one person and injuring six. The surrounding crowd got angry and a riot arose, lasting all day ending with 20 dead and 160 injured. When stone-throwing and gunfire had come from a crowd of some 400 men, the US troops had used their weapons "to defend themselves" while leaving the scene, a US military spokesman said. A correspondent for the Financial Times in Kabul suggested that this was the outbreak of "a ground swell of resentment" and "growing hostility to foreigners" that had been growing and building since 2004.[172][173]

UK actions in early 2007 included Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles, and Operation Lastay Kulang. The UK Ministry of Defence also announced its intention to bring British troop levels in the country up to 7,700.[174]

In March 2007, the US deployed some 3,500 more troops, though the pace of deployment was slow due to American priorities in Iraq.[175][176] In the first five months of 2008, the number of US troops in Afghanistan increased by over 80% with a surge of 21,643 more troops, bringing the total from 26,607 in January to 48,250 in June.[177]

On 4 March 2007, US Marines killed at least 12 civilians and injured 33 in Shinwar district, Nangarhar,[178] in a response to a bomb ambush. The event became known as the "Shinwar massacre."[179] The 120 member Marine unit responsible for the attack were ordered to leave the country because the incident damaged the unit's relations with the local population.[180]

During the summer, NATO forces achieved tactical victories at the Battle of Chora in Orūzgān, where Dutch and Australian ISAF forces were deployed. The Battle of Musa Qala took place in December. Afghan units were the principal fighting force, supported by British forces.[181] Taliban forces were forced out of the town.

In 2007, after more than 5 years of war, Western officials and analysts estimated the strength of Taliban forces at about 10,000 fighters fielded at any given time. Of that number, only 2,000 to 3,000 were highly motivated, full-time insurgents.[182] The rest were volunteer units, made up of young Afghans, angered by deaths of Afghan civilians in military airstrikes and American detention of Muslim prisoners who had been held for years without being charged.[183] In 2007, more foreign fighters came into Afghanistan than ever before, according to officials. Approximately 100 to 300 full-time combatants were foreigners, many from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Chechnya, perhaps Turkey and western China, and other countries. They were reportedly more violent, and uncontrollable, often bringing superior video-production or bomb making expertise.[184] By 2010, the Taliban had as many as 25,000 dedicated soldiers, almost as many as before 9/11.[185]

General McChrystal, newly appointed as US commander in Afghanistan, said that the Taliban had gained the upper hand. In a continuation of the Taliban's usual strategy of summer offensives,[186] the militants aggressively spread their influence into north and west Afghanistan and stepped up their attack in an attempt to disrupt presidential polls.[187] He added that the US strategy was to stop their momentum, and focus on protecting and safeguarding Afghan civilians, calling it "hard work."[188]

### 2008–2009: NATO build-up, Pakistan skirmishes, and Karzai re-election

[edit]

Main articles: Pakistan's role in the War on Terror, Pakistan–United States skirmishes, and Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2009

On 13 June 2008, Taliban fighters demonstrated their ongoing strength, liberating all prisoners in Kandahar jail. The operation freed 1200 prisoners, 400 of whom were Taliban, causing a major embarrassment for NATO.[189] By the end of 2008, the Taliban apparently had severed remaining ties with al-Qaeda.[190] According to senior US military intelligence officials, perhaps fewer than 100 members of al-Qaeda remained in Afghanistan.[191]

In the summer of 2008, President Bush issued an order authorizing raids against militants in Pakistan. Pakistan said it would not allow foreign forces onto its territory and that it would vigorously protect its sovereignty.[192] In September, the Pakistan military stated that it had issued orders to "open fire" on US soldiers who crossed the border in pursuit of militant forces.[193]

In September 2008, President Bush announced the withdrawal of over 8,000 from Iraq and a further increase of up to 4,500 in Afghanistan.[194] The same month, the UK lost its 100th serviceperson.[195]

On 3 September 2008, US commandos landed by helicopter and attacked three houses close to a known enemy stronghold in Pakistan. Pakistan condemned the attack, calling the incursion "a gross violation of Pakistan's territory."[196][197] On 6 September, in an apparent reaction, Pakistan announced an indefinite disconnection of supply lines to NATO forces.[198] A further split occurred when Pakistani soldiers fired on NATO aircraft which had crossed the border on 25 September.[199] However, despite tensions, the US increased the use of remotely piloted drone aircraft in Pakistan's border regions, in particular the Federal Tribal Areas and Balochistan; by 2009, drone attacks were up 183% since 2006.[200]

By 2009 there was broad agreement in Afghanistan that the war should end, but how it should happen was a major issue for the candidates of the 2009 Afghan presidential election that re-elected Karzai.[201] In a televised speech after being elected, Karzai called on "our Taliban brothers to come home and embrace their land"[202] and laid plans to launch a loya jirga. Efforts were undermined by the Obama administration's increase of American troops in the country.[203] Karzai reiterated at a London conference in January 2010 that he wanted to reach out to the Taliban to lay down arms.[204] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cautiously supported the proposal.[205]

Development of ISAF troop strength A US soldier and an Afghan interpreter in Zabul, 2009

January 2009 brought a change in American leadership, with the election of President Barack Obama. That month, US soldiers, alongside Afghan Federal Guards, moved into the provinces of Logar, Wardak, and Kunar. The troops were the first wave of an expected surge of reinforcements originally ordered by President Bush and increased by President Obama.[206] In mid-February 2009, it was announced that 17,000 additional troops would be deployed in two brigades and support troops; the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade of about 3,500 and the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, a Stryker brigade with about 4,000.[207] ISAF commander General David McKiernan had called for as many as 30,000 additional troops, effectively doubling the number of troops.[208] On 23 September, a classified assessment by General McChrystal included his conclusion that a successful counterinsurgency strategy would require 500,000 troops and five years.[209]

Pakistani drone strikes against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants increased substantially under President Obama.[210] Some in the media referred to the attacks as a "drone war."[211][212] In August 2009, Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan was killed in a drone strike.[213]

June 2009 brought Operation Strike of the Sword in Helmand.[214] It followed a British-led operation named Operation Panther's Claw in the same region, which was aimed to secure various canal and river crossings to establish a long-term ISAF presence.[215]

On 4 September 2009, during the Kunduz Province Campaign a devastating NATO air raid was conducted 7 kilometers southwest of Kunduz, where Taliban fighters had hijacked civilian supply trucks, killing up to 179 people, including over 100 civilians.[216]

Russian made Mil Mi-8 chopper landing at Forward Operating Base Airborne to deliver mail and supplies, 2009

After Karzai's alleged win of 54 percent in 2009, which would prevent a runoff, over 400,000 Karzai votes had to be disallowed after accusations of fraud. Some nations criticized the elections as "free but not fair."[217][218] The Taliban's claim that the over 135 violent incidents disrupted elections was largely disputed. However, the media was asked to not report any violent incidents.[219] In southern Afghanistan where the Taliban held the most power, voter turnout was low and sporadic violence was directed at voters and security personnel.[220] The Taliban released a video days after the elections, filming on the road between Kabul and Kandahar, stopping vehicles and asking to see their fingers (voters were marked by dipping their fingers in ink so they could not double vote). The video went showed ten men who had voted, listening to a Taliban militant. The Taliban pardoned the voters because of Ramadan.[221] The Taliban attacked towns with rockets and other indirect fire. Amid claims of widespread fraud, both top contenders, Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, claimed victory. Reports suggested that turnout was lower than in the prior election.[218] On 26 November, Karzai made a public plea for direct negotiations with the Taliban leadership, saying there was an "urgent need" for negotiations and made it clear that the Obama administration had opposed such talks. There was no formal US response.[222][223]

In December 2009, an attack on Forward Operating Base Chapman, used by the CIA to gather information and to coordinate drone attacks against Taliban leaders, killed eight working for the CIA.[224]

On 1 December 2009, Obama announced that the US would send 30,000 more troops.[225] Antiwar organizations in the US responded quickly, and cities throughout the US saw protests on 2 December.[226] Many protesters compared the decision to deploy more troops in Afghanistan to the expansion of the Vietnam War under the Johnson administration.[227]

### 2010–2011: Strategic agreements and death of Bin Laden

[edit]

See also: Killing of Osama bin Laden and Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2010

UK service members of the Royal Air Force Regiment stop on a road while conducting a combat mission near Kandahar Airfield, 2010

Deployment of additional US troops continued in early 2010, with 9,000 of the planned 30,000 in place before the end of March and another 18,000 expected by June.[228] The surge in troops supported a sixfold increase in Special Forces operations.[229] The surge of American personnel that began in late 2009 ended by September 2012.[230] 700 airstrikes occurred in September 2010 alone versus 257 in all of 2009.[231]

Due to increased use of IEDs by insurgents, the number of injured Coalition soldiers, mainly Americans, significantly increased.[232] Beginning in May 2010 NATO special forces began to concentrate on operations to capture or kill specific Taliban leaders. As of March 2011, the US military claimed that the effort had resulted in the capture or killing of more than 900 low- to mid-level Taliban commanders.[233][234] Overall, 2010 saw the most insurgent attacks of any year since the war began, peaking in September at more than 1,500.[235]

In February 2010, Coalition and Afghan forces began highly visible plans for an offensive, codenamed Operation Moshtarak, on a Taliban stronghold near the village of Marjah.[236]

The "Peace Jirga" was held in Kabul, attended by 1,600 delegates, in June 2010. However, the Taliban and the Hezb-i Islami Gulbuddin, who were both invited by Karzai as a gesture of goodwill did not attend the conference.[237] The Taliban's co-founder and then-second-in-command, Abdul Ghani Baradar, was one of the leading Taliban members who favored talks with the US and Afghan governments. Karzai's administration reportedly held talks with Baradar in February; however, later that month, Baradar was captured in a joint US-Pakistani raid in the city of Karachi in Pakistan. The arrest infuriated Karzai and invoked suspicions that he was seized because the Pakistani intelligence community was opposed to Afghan peace talks.[238][239] Karzai started peace talks with Haqqani-network groups in March.[240]

In 2010, a mindset change and strategy occurred within the Obama administration, to allow possible political negotiations to solve the war.[241] The Taliban themselves had refused to speak to the Afghan government, portraying them as an American "puppet." Sporadic efforts for peace talks between the US and the Taliban occurred afterward, and it was reported in October 2010 that Taliban leadership commanders (the "Quetta Shura") had left their haven in Pakistan and been safely escorted to Kabul by NATO aircraft for talks, with the assurance that NATO staff would not apprehend them.[242] After the talks concluded, it emerged that the leader of this delegation, who claimed to be Akhtar Mansour, the second-in-command of the Taliban, was actually an imposter who had duped NATO officials.[243]

On 25 July 2010, the release of 91,731 classified documents from the WikiLeaks organization was made public. The documents cover US military incident and intelligence reports from January 2004 to December 2009.[244] Some of these documents included sanitized, and "covered up", accounts of civilian casualties caused by Coalition Forces. The reports included many references to other incidents involving civilian casualties like the Kunduz airstrike and Nangar Khel incident.[245] The leaked documents also contain reports of Pakistan collusion with the Taliban. According to Der Spiegel, "the documents clearly show that the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (usually known as the ISI) is the most important accomplice the Taliban has outside of Afghanistan."[246]

An Australian service light armored vehicle drives through Tangi Valley, 2011

On 2 May 2011, US officials announced that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed in Operation Neptune Spear, conducted by the US Navy SEALs, in Abbottabad, Pakistan.[247] Pakistan came under intense international scrutiny after the raid. The Pakistani government denied that it had sheltered bin Laden, and said it had shared information with the CIA and other intelligence agencies about the compound since 2009.[248]

The 2011 Battle of Kandahar was part of an offensive that followed a 30 April announcement that the Taliban would launch their spring offensive.[249] On 7 May, the Taliban launched a major offensive on government buildings in Kandahar.[250] The BBC called it "the worst attack in Kandahar province since the fall of the Taliban government, and an embarrassment for the [Afghan] government."[251]

Karzai confirmed in June 2011 that secret talks were taking place between the US and the Taliban,[252] but these collapsed by August.[253]

On 22 June 2011, President Obama announced that 10,000 troops would be withdrawn by the end of the year, and an additional 23,000 troops would return by the summer of 2012. After the withdrawal of 10,000 US troops, 80,000 remained.[254] In 2011 Canada withdrew its combat troops, transitioning to a training role. Following suit, other NATO countries announced troop reductions. Taliban attacks continued at the same rate as they did in 2011, around 28,000 in 2013.[255]

A German Bundeswehr soldier, part of ISAF's Regional Command North at Camp Marmal, 2011

Tensions between Pakistan and the US were heightened in late September 2011 after several Pakistan Frontier Corps soldiers were killed and wounded. The troops were attacked by a US piloted aircraft that was pursuing Taliban forces near the Afghan-Pakistan border, but for unknown reasons opened fire on two Pakistan border posts. In retaliation for the strike, Pakistan closed the Torkham ground border crossing to NATO supply convoys for an unspecified period. This incident followed the release of a video allegedly showing uniformed Pakistan soldiers executing unarmed civilians.[256] After the Torkham border closing, Pakistani Taliban attacked NATO convoys, killing several drivers and destroying around 100 tankers.[257] ISAF forces skirmished Pakistan's armed forces on 26 November, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers. Each side claimed the other shot first. Pakistan blocked NATO supply lines and ordered Americans to leave Shamsi Airfield.[258][259]

### 2012–2013: U.S. troop incidents, Obama-Karzai meetings

[edit]

See also: U.S.–Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement

US soldiers walk by local Afghan boys during a patrol in Gardez, 2012

Beginning in January 2012, incidents involving US troops[260][261][262][263][264][265] occurred that were described by The Sydney Morning Herald as "a series of damaging incidents and disclosures involving US troops in Afghanistan."[260] These incidents created fractures in the partnership between Afghanistan and ISAF,[266] raised the question whether discipline within US troops was breaking down,[267] undermined "the image of foreign forces in a country where there is already deep resentment owing to civilian deaths and a perception among many Afghans that US troops lack respect for Afghan culture and people"[268] and strained the relations between Afghanistan and the United States.[261][262] Besides an incident involving US troops who posed with body parts of dead insurgents and a video apparently showing a US helicopter crew singing "bye-bye Miss American Pie" before blasting a group of Afghan men with a Hellfire missile[268][269] these "high-profile US military incidents in Afghanistan"[264] also included the 2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests and the Panjwai shooting spree.

US Army soldiers boarding a Black Hawk in Nari District, near the Pakistani border, 2012

Karzai visited the US in January 2012. At the time, the US Government stated its openness to withdrawing all of its troops by the end of 2014.[270] On 11 January 2012, Karzai and Obama agreed to transfer combat operations from NATO to Afghan forces by spring 2013 rather than summer 2013.[271][272] "What's going to happen this spring is that Afghans will be in the lead throughout the country", Obama said. "They [ISAF forces] will still be fighting alongside Afghan troops...we will be in a training, assisting, advising role."[272] He also stated the reason of the withdrawals that "We achieved our central goal, or have come very close...which is to de-capacitate al-Qaeda" and making sure that "they can't attack us again."[273] He added that any US mission beyond 2014 would focus solely on counterterrorism operations and training.[273][274]

Troops from the 31st and 33rd Kandak, Afghan National Army, execute a departure for Operation Valley Flood, 2012

In 2012 the leaders of NATO-member countries endorsed an exit strategy during the NATO Summit.[146] ISAF Forces would transfer command of all combat missions to Afghan forces by the middle of 2013,[275] while shifting from combat to advising, training and assisting Afghan security forces.[276][277] Most of the 130,000 ISAF troops would depart by the end of December 2014.[275] A new NATO mission would then assume the support role.[276][278]

Further attempts to resume talks were canceled in March 2012,[279] and June 2013 following a dispute between the Afghan government and the Taliban regarding the latter's opening of a political office in Qatar. President Karzai accused the Taliban of portraying themselves as a government in exile.[280]

On 2 May 2012, Presidents Karzai and Obama signed a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries, after the US president had arrived unannounced in Kabul.[281] On 7 July, as part of the agreement, the US designated Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally after Karzai and Clinton met in Kabul.[282] Both leaders agreed that the United States would transfer Afghan prisoners and prisons to the Afghan government[272][283] and withdraw troops from Afghan villages in spring 2013.[283][284]

On 18 June 2013 the transfer of security responsibilities from NATO to Afghan forces was completed.[285] ISAF remained slated to end its mission by the end of 2014.[286] Some 100,000 ISAF forces remained in the country.[287]

### 2014–2015: Withdrawal and increase of insurgency

[edit]

See also: Operation Freedom's Sentinel

Resolute Support Colors presented at Kabul on 28 December 2014, after the ISAF colors are encased

The UK and the US officially ended their combat operation in Afghanistan on 26 October 2014. The UK handed over its last base in Afghanistan, Camp Bastion, and the US handed over its last base, Camp Leatherneck, to Afghan forces.[288] Around 500 UK troops remained in "non-combat" roles.[289][290] On 28 December, NATO officially ended combat operations in a ceremony held in Kabul.[291] Continued operations by US forces within Afghanistan were under Operation Freedom's Sentinel;[292] and the new NATO mission was Operation Resolute Support.[293]

The withdrawal of troops did not mean the withdrawal of military presence. As US troops withdrew from Afghanistan, they were replaced by private security companies hired by the United States government and the United Nations. Many of these private security companies (also termed military contractors) consisted of ex-Coalition military personnel. This allowed the US and British to continue to be involved in ground actions without the requirement to station their own forces.[294]

The Taliban began a resurgence due to several factors. The withdrawal of most foreign forces from Afghanistan reduced the risk the Taliban faced of being bombed and raided. In June 2014, the Pakistani military's Operation Zarb-e-Azb, launched in the North Waziristan tribal area, dislodged thousands of mainly Uzbek, Arab and Pakistani militants, who flooded into Afghanistan and swelled the Taliban's ranks. The group was further emboldened by the comparative lack of interest from the international community, as attention was given to other world crises, such as Syria, Iraq, or Ukraine. Afghan security forces lacked, among other things, air power and reconnaissance. The political infighting in the central government in Kabul, and the apparent weakness in governance at different levels, were exploited by the Taliban.[295] The Taliban expanded governance in the areas under their control, attempting to build local-level legitimacy.[296] Their governance strategy rested in particular on the provision of justice, which was often viewed as less corrupt than the courts of the government.[297][298]

Heavy fighting occurred in Kunduz Province,[299][300] which was the site of clashes from 2009 onwards. In May 2015, flights into the northern city of Kunduz were suspended due to weeks of clashes between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban outside the city.[301] The intensifying conflict in the Northern Char Dara District within the Kunduz province led the Afghan government to enlist local militia fighters to bolster opposition to the Taliban insurgency.[302] In June, the Taliban intensified attacks around Kunduz city as part of a major offensive in an attempt to capture it;[303][304][305] tens of thousands of inhabitants were displaced internally. The government recaptured the Char Dara district after roughly a month of fighting.[306]

In late September, Taliban forces launched an attack on Kunduz city, seizing several outlying villages and entering the city. The Taliban stormed the regional hospital and clashed with security forces at the nearby university. The fighting saw the Taliban attack from four different districts: Char Dara to the west, Aliabad to the southwest, Khanabad to the east, and Imam Saheb to the north.[307][308] The Taliban took the Zakhel and Ali Khel villages on the highway leading south, which connects the city to Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif through Aliabad district. They reportedly made their largest gains in the southwest of Kunduz, where some armed local communities had started supporting the Taliban.[307] Taliban fighters had allegedly blocked the route to the airport, to prevent civilians fleeing the city.[309] One witness reported that the headquarters of the National Directorate of Security was set on fire.[310]

In January 2015, the Islamic State caliphate established a branch in Afghanistan called Khorasan (ISKP, or ISIS-K) and began recruiting fighters[311] and clashing with the Taliban.[312][313] It was created after pledging allegiance to the self-assumed worldwide caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[314] On 18 March, Hafiz Wahidi, ISIL's replacement deputy Emir in Afghanistan, was killed by the Afghan Armed Forces, along with 9 other ISIL militants accompanying him.[315]

US Army soldier in Nangarhar Province, 2015

In 2015, the Taliban began an offensive that took over parts of Helmand Province. By June, they had seized control of Dishu and Baghran killing 5,588 Afghan government security forces (3,720 of them were police officers).[316] By the end of July, the Taliban had overrun Nawzad District[317] and on 26 August, the Taliban took control of Musa Qala.[318] In October, Taliban forces had attempted to take Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. The Afghan 215th Corps and special operations forces launched a counteroffensive against the Taliban in November,[319] Whilst the assault was repelled, Taliban forces remained dug into the city's suburbs as of December 2015.[320]

On 22 June 2015, the Taliban detonated a car bomb outside the National Assembly in Kabul, and Taliban fighters attacked the building with assault rifles and RPGs.[321][322] The bombing highlighted differences within the Taliban in their approach to peace talks.[323][324]

In July 2015, Pakistan hosted the first official peace talks between Taliban representatives and the Afghan government. U.S. and China attended the talks brokered by Pakistan in Murree as two observers.[325] In January 2016, Pakistan hosted a round of four-way talks with Afghan, Chinese and American officials, but the Taliban did not attend.[326] The Taliban did hold informal talks with the Afghan government in 2016.[327] China's reason for the negotiation was that Afghan security situation affected its own separatist groups, and economic activity with Pakistan. The Taliban declined.[328][329]

On 11 November 2015, it was reported that infighting had broken out between different Taliban factions in Zabul Province. Fighters loyal to the new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor fought a pro-ISIL splinter faction led by Mullah Mansoor Dadullah. Even though Dadullah's faction enjoyed the support of foreign ISIL fighters, including Uzbeks and Chechens, it was reported that Mansoor's Taliban loyalists had the upper hand. According to Ghulam Jilani Farahi, provincial director of security in Zabul, more than 100 militants from both sides were killed since the fighting broke out.[330] The infighting stifled peace talks.[331][332]

As a result of the infighting, which has resulted in Mansour being consumed with a campaign to quell dissent against his leadership; Sirajuddin Haqqani, chief of the Haqqani Network was selected to become the deputy leader of the Taliban in the summer of 2015, during a leadership struggle within the Taliban. Sirajuddin and other Haqqani leaders increasingly ran the day-to-day military operations for the Taliban, in particular; refining urban terrorist attacks and cultivating a sophisticated international fund-raising network, they also appointed Taliban governors and began uniting the Taliban. As a result, the Haqqani Network is now closely integrated with the Taliban at a leadership level, and is growing in influence within the insurgency, whereas the network was largely autonomous before, and there are concerns that the fighting is going to be deadlier. Tensions with the Pakistani military have also been raised because American and Afghan officials accuse them of sheltering the Haqqanis as a proxy group.[333][334]

TAAC-E advisers in 2015

December 2015 saw a renewed Taliban offensive in Helmand focused on the town of Sangin. The Sangin district fell to the Taliban on 21 December after fierce clashes that killed more than 90 soldiers in two days.[335] It was reported that 30 members of the SAS alongside 60 US special forces operators joined the Afghan Army in the Battle to retake parts of Sangin from Taliban insurgents,[336] in addition, about 300 US troops and a small number of British remained in Helmand to advise Afghan commanders at the corps level.[337][338] Senior American commanders said that the Afghan troops in the province have lacked effective leaders as well as the necessary weapons and ammunition to hold off persistent Taliban attacks. Some Afghan soldiers in Helmand have been fighting in tough conditions for years without a break to see their family, leading to poor morale and high desertion rates.[337]

Peace movements started arising in Afghanistan, including the Tabassum movement in 2015, the Enlightenment Movement during 2016–17, Uprising for Change in 2017, and the People's Peace Movement in 2018.

### 2016–2017: Collapse of peace talks, emergence of Islamic State

[edit]

See also: Islamic State

In January 2016, the US government sent a directive to the Pentagon which granted new legal authority for the US military to go on the offensive against Militants affiliated with the ISIL-KP, after the State Department announced the designation of ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a foreign terrorist organization. The number of militants started with around 60 or 70, with most of them coming over the border with Pakistan but eventually[when?] ranged between 1,000 and 3,000 militants.[339] They were mainly defectors from the Afghan and the Pakistani Taliban, and were generally confined to Nangarhar Province, and partially, Kunar province.[339][340]

In early February 2016, Taliban insurgents renewed their assault on Sangin, after previously being repulsed in December 2015, launching a string of ferocious attacks on Afghan government forces earlier in the month. As a result, the United States decided to send troops from the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, in order to prop up the Afghan 215th Corps in Helmand province, particularly around Sangin, joining US special operations forces already in the area.[341][342][343][344][345] On 14 March 2016, Khanneshin District in Helmand Province fell to the Taliban; and district by district, Afghan troops were retreating back to urban centers in Helmand.[329][345] In early April 2016, 600 Afghan troops launched a major offensive to retake Taliban-occupied areas in and around Sangin.[346] An Afghan army offensive to retake the town of Khanisheen was repelled by the Taliban, and desertions from the army in the area were rife.[347]

Despite US airstrikes, militants besieged Lashkar Gah, reportedly controlling all roads leading to the city and areas a few kilometres away. The US stepped up airstrikes in support of Afghan ground forces. Afghan forces in the city were reported as "exhausted", whilst police checkpoints around the capital were falling one by one. Meanwhile, the Taliban sent a new elite commando force into Helmand called "Sara Khitta" in Pashto.[348][349][350] Afghan security forces beat back attacks by Taliban fighters encroaching on Chah-e-Anji nearby Lashkar Gah; Afghan special forces backed by US airstrikes battled increasingly well-armed and disciplined Taliban militants. An Afghan special forces commander said "The Taliban have heavily armed, uniformed units that are equipped with night vision and modern weapons."[351]

On 10 March 2016, officials said that the Taliban clashed with a Taliban splinter group (led by Muhammad Rasul) in the Shindand district of Herat, and up to 100 militants were killed.[331][332]

In April 2016, President Ashraf Ghani "pulled the plug" on the Afghan governments failing effort to start peace talks with the Taliban.[352] Additionally, due to the integration of Haqqani Networks into the Taliban leadership, it would become harder for peace talks to take place.[333][334] Although leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, said a peace agreement was possible if the government in Kabul renounced its foreign allies.[353]

On 23 July 2016, Afghan and US forces began an offensive to clear Nangarhar province of Islamic State militants hours after the Kabul bombing, the operation was dubbed "Wrath of the Storm" involving both Afghan regular army and special forces and is the Afghan army's first major strategic offensive of the summer. The estimated size of the ISIL-KP in January 2016 was around 3,000, but by July, the number had been reduced to around 1,000 to 1,500, with 70% of its fighters coming from the TTP.[354][355][356]

As of July 2016, Time magazine estimated that at least 20% of Afghanistan was under Taliban control with southernmost Helmand Province as major stronghold,[357] while General Nicholson stated that Afghan official armed forces' casualties had risen 20 percent compared to 2015.[354] On 22 August, the US announced that 100 US troops were sent to Lashkar Gah to help prevent the Taliban from overrunning it, in what Brigadier General Charles Cleveland called a "temporary effort" to advise the Afghan police.[358]

On 22 September 2016, the Afghan government signed a draft peace deal with Hezb-i-Islami.[359][360]

Green Berets of the 10th SFG memorialize two comrades who were killed in action during the Battle of Boz Qandahari in 2016

On 31 December 2016, the Taliban continued their assault on the province with attacks on Sangin and Marjah districts.[361] Some estimated suggest the Taliban had retaken more than 80% of Helmand province.[362]

In early January 2017, the Marine Corps Times reported that Afghan forces seek to rebuild, following an exhausting 2016 fighting season; 33 districts, spread across 16 Afghan provinces, were under insurgent control whilst 258 were under government control and nearly 120 districts remained "contested."[362] According to an inspector general, the Afghan army comprises about 169,000 soldiers, but in 2016, they suffered a 33 percent attrition rate—a 7 percent increase from 2015.[362]

In early March 2017, American and Afghan forces launched Operation Hamza to "flush" ISIS-K from its stronghold in eastern Afghanistan, engaging in regular ground battles.[363] In April 2017, NATO spokesman Captain Bill Salvin said that Afghan and international forces had reduced ISIS-K controlled territory in Afghanistan by two-thirds and had killed around half their fighters in the previous two years. Since the beginning of 2017, 460 airstrikes against terrorists (with drone strikes alone killing more than 200 IS militants); he added that the affiliate has an estimated 600–800 fighters in two eastern Afghan provinces.[364]

On 23 March 2017, Sangin district was captured by the Taliban, as they had overrun the district center of the town of Sangin. During the earlier phase of the war, almost a quarter of British casualties were caused by fighting for the town, while more recently hundreds of Afghan troops died defending it.[365][366] On 29 April, the US deployed an additional 5,000 Marines to the Southern Helmand Province.[367]

USAF pilots fly a CH-47 Chinook in Nangarhar, 2017

On 21 April 2017, the Taliban attacked Camp Shaheen near Mazar-e-Sharif, killing over 140 Afghan soldiers.[368][369][370]

On 15 September 2017, the New York Times reported that the CIA was seeking authority to conduct its own drone strikes in Afghanistan and other war zones, according to current and former intelligence and military officials, and that the change in authority was being considered by the White House as part of the new strategy despite concerns by the Pentagon.[371] On 19 September, the Trump Administration deployed another 3,000 US troops to Afghanistan. They would add to the approximately 11,000 US troops already serving in Afghanistan, bringing the total to at least 14,000 US troops stationed in the country.[372] On 4 October, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis approved a change in rules of engagement as part of the new strategy so that there is no longer a requirement for US troops to be in contact with enemy forces in Afghanistan before opening fire.[373]

On 20 November 2017, General John Nicholson announced that US aircraft were targeting drug production facilities in Afghanistan under a new strategy aimed at cutting off Taliban funding, saying that the Taliban was "becoming a criminal organization" that was earning about $200 million a year from drug-related activities. President Ashraf Ghani strongly endorsed the new campaign of US and Afghan airstrikes against the Taliban-run narcotic centers.[374]

### 2018–2019: Peace overtures

[edit]

Further information: Afghan peace process, Battle of Darzab (2018), Ghazni offensive, and 2019 Afghan presidential election

Map showing the war as of January 2019

Under control of the Afghan Government, NATO, and Allies

Under control of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Allies

Under control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Allies

Under control of the Pakistani Army

In January 2018, the Taliban were openly active in 70% of the country (being in full control of 14 districts and have an active and open physical presence in a further 263) and the Islamic State was more active in the country than ever before. Following recent attacks by the Taliban (including the Kabul ambulance bombing on 27 January) and Islamic State that killed scores of civilians, President Trump and Afghan officials decided to rule out any talks with the Taliban.[375] However, on 27 February, following an increase in violence, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani proposed unconditional peace talks with the Taliban, offering them recognition as a legal political party and the release of the Taliban prisoners. The offer was the most favorable to the Taliban since the war started. It was preceded by months of national consensus building, which found that Afghans overwhelmingly supported a negotiated end to the war.[376][377] Two days earlier, the Taliban had called for talks with the US.[378] On 27 March, a conference of 20 countries in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, backed the Afghan government's peace offer.[379] The Taliban did not publicly respond.

Following Ghani's offer of unconditional peace talks with the Taliban, a growing peace movement arose in Afghanistan during 2018, particularly following a peace march by the People's Peace Movement,[380] which the Afghan media dubbed the "Helmand Peace Convoy."[381][382] The marchers walked several hundred kilometers from Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province, through Taliban-held territory,[383] to Kabul. There they met Ghani, and held sit-in protests outside the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and nearby embassies.[384] Their efforts inspired further movements in other parts of Afghanistan.[385] Following the march, Ghani and the Taliban agreed a mutual, unprecedented, ceasefire during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in June. During the ceasefire, Taliban members flocked into Kabul, where they met and communicated with locals and state security forces. Creating a mood of both hope and fear, many civilians welcomed the Taliban and spoke about peace.[386] Although civilians called for the ceasefire to be made permanent, the Taliban rejected an extension and resumed fighting after the ceasefire ended on 18 June, while the Afghan government's ceasefire ended a week later.[387][388][389]

US, British and Afghan security forces train together in an aerial reaction force exercise at Camp Qargha in Kabul, 2018

American officials had secretly met members of the Taliban's political commission in Qatar in July 2018.[390] In September 2018, Trump appointed Zalmay Khalilzad as special adviser on Afghanistan in the US State Department, with the stated goal of facilitating an intra-Afghan political peace process.[391] Khalilzad led further talks between the US and the Taliban in Qatar in October.[392] Russia hosted a separate peace talk in November between the Taliban and officials from Afghanistan's High Peace Council.[393] The talks in Qatar resumed in December,[394] though the Taliban refused to allow the Afghan government to be invited,[395] considering them a puppet government of the US.[396] The Taliban spoke with Afghans including former President Karzai at a hotel in Moscow in February 2019, but again these talks did not include the Afghan government.[397]

In July 2018 the Taliban carried out the Darzab offensive and captured Darzab District following the surrender of ISIL-K to the Afghan Government. In August the Taliban launched a series of offensives, the largest being the Ghazni offensive. During the Ghazni offensive, the Taliban seized Ghazni, Afghanistan's sixth-largest city for several days but eventually retreated.[398][399]

On 25 January 2019, Ghani said that more than 45,000 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed since he became president in 2014. He also said that there had been fewer than 72 international casualties during the same period.[400] A January 2019 report by the US government estimated that 53.8% of Afghanistan's districts were controlled or influenced by the government, with 33.9% contested and 12.3% under insurgent control or influence.[401]

On 30 April 2019, Afghan government forces undertook clearing operations directed against both ISIS-K and the Taliban in eastern Nangarhar Province, after the two groups fought for over a week over a group of villages in an area of illegal talc mining. The National Directorate of Security claimed 22 ISIS-K fighters were killed and two weapons caches destroyed, while the Taliban claimed Afghan forces killed seven civilians.[402] On 28 July, Ghani's running mate Amrullah Saleh's office was attacked by a suicide bomber and a few militants. At least 20 people were killed, and 50 injured; Saleh was among those injured.[403]

By August, the Taliban controlled more territory than at any point since 2001.[404] Attempted peace negotiations between the US and the Taliban failed in September.[405]

On 25 February 2019, peace talks began between the Taliban and the United States in Qatar, with the Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar notably present.[396] Peace negotiations had resumed in December.[406] This round of talks resulted in a seven-day partial ceasefire which began on 22 February 2020.[407]

### 2020: US–Taliban deal, beginning of US withdrawal

[edit]

Main articles: United States–Taliban deal and 2020–2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

US representative Zalmay Khalilzad (left) and Taliban representative Abdul Ghani Baradar (right) sign the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan on 29 February 2020

On 29 February, 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed a conditional peace deal in Doha, Qatar,[408] that called for a prisoner exchange within ten days and was supposed to lead to US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan within 14 months.[81][409] However, the Afghan government was not a party to the deal, and, in a press conference the next day, President Ghani criticized the deal for being "signed behind closed doors." He said the Afghan government had "made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners" and that such an action "is not the United States' authority, but it is the authority of the government of Afghanistan."[410][411][82][412]

After signing the agreement with the United States, the Taliban resumed offensive operations against the Afghan army and police on 3 March, conducting attacks in Kunduz and Helmand provinces.[413] On 4 March, the United States retaliated by launching an air strike against Taliban fighters in Helmand.[414] Despite the peace agreement between the US and the Taliban, insurgent attacks against Afghan security forces were reported to have surged in the country. In the 45 days after the agreement (between 1 March and 15 April), the Taliban conducted more than 4,500 attacks in Afghanistan, which showed an increase of more than 70% as compared to the same period in the previous year.[415] More than 900 Afghan security forces were killed in the period, up from about 520 in the same period a year earlier. Because of a significant reduction in the number of offensives and airstrikes by Afghan and US forces against the Taliban due to the agreement, Taliban casualties dropped to 610 in the period down from about 1,660 in the same period a year earlier.[415] Meanwhile, ISIS-K continued to be a threat on its own, killing 32 people in a mass shooting in Kabul on 6 March,[416] killing 25 Sikh worshippers in Kabul on 25 March,[417] and a series of attacks in May most notably killing 16 mothers and newborn babies in Kabul.[418]

On the diplomatic front, on 31 March 2020 a three-person Taliban delegation arrived in Kabul to discuss the release of prisoners,[419][420] the first Taliban representatives to visit Kabul since 2001.[419] On 7 April, the Taliban departed from the prisoner swap talks, which Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said was unsuccessful.[421][422] Shaheen also stated in a tweet that hours after walking out of the talks, the Taliban's negotiating team was recalled from Kabul.[422] The Taliban failed to secure the release of any of the 15 commanders they sought to be released.[421] Arguments over which prisoners to swap resulted in a delay of the planned prisoner swap.[421] After a long delay due to disputes regarding prisoners' releases, the Afghan government had by August released 5,100 prisoners,[423] and the Taliban had released 1,000.[424] However, the Afghan government refused to release 400 prisoners from the list of those the Taliban wanted to be released, because those 400 were accused of serious crimes.[425] President Ghani stated that he did not have the constitutional authority to release them, so he convened a loya jirga from 7 to 9 August to discuss the issue.[426] The jirga agreed to free the 400 remaining prisoners.[425] Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in Doha on 12 September.[427]

On 22 June, Afghanistan reported its "bloodiest week in 19 years", during which 291 members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) were killed and 550 others wounded in 422 attacks carried out by the Taliban. At least 42 civilians, including women and children, were also killed and 105 others wounded.[428] During the week, the Taliban kidnapped 60 civilians in the central province of Daykundi.[429]

### 2021: End of US withdrawal, last Taliban offensive

[edit]

Main articles: 2021 Taliban offensive and Fall of Kabul (2021)

The Taliban insurgency intensified considerably in 2021 coinciding with the withdrawal of United States and allied troops from Afghanistan.[430] Since the US withdrawal, the number of casualties of women in the Afghanistan conflict rose by almost 40% in the first quarter of 2021 alone.[431]

On March 6, Afghanistan's President Ghani expressed that his government would be taking forward peace talks with the Taliban, discussing with the insurgent group about holding fresh elections and forming a government in a democratic manner.[432] On April 13, the Biden administration announced that it would withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by September 11, on the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.[433] The US government also reiterated support for the Afghan government regarding a possible Taliban military victory.[434]

A map of Afghanistan showing the 2021 Taliban offensive

The Taliban began its last major offensive on 1 May, culminating in the fall of Kabul, a Taliban victory, and the end of war.[435][436][437] In the first three months of the offensive, the Taliban made significant territorial gains in the countryside, increasing the number of districts it controlled from 73 to 223.[438]

On July 5, the Taliban announced their intention to present a written peace plan to the Afghan Government in August but as of August 13, this had not been done.[439][440] Sources claimed that on August 12, Abdullah Abdullah, the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, handed in a plan titled "exiting the crisis" which was shared with the Taliban; it called for the creation of a "joint government."[441] On August 15, following the Taliban offensive and the fall of the capital Kabul, the Taliban occupied the Presidential Palace after the incumbent President Ashraf Ghani fled the country to Tajikistan.[442][443] NATO forces maintain a presence in Kabul.[443][444]

The Taliban gained control of various towns throughout June and July. On 6 August, they captured the first provincial capital of Zaranj. Over the next ten days, they swept across the country, capturing capital after capital. On 14 August, Mazar-i-Sharif was captured as commanders Rashid Dostum and Atta Nur fled across the border to Uzbekistan, cutting Kabul's vital northern supply route.[445]

Taliban fighters in Kabul, 17 August 2021

On 15 August, Jalalabad fell, cutting the only remaining international route through the Khyber Pass.[445] By noon, Taliban forces advanced from the Paghman district reaching the gates of Kabul; Ghani discussed the city's protection with security ministers, while sources claimed a unity peace agreement with the Taliban was imminent. However, Ghani was unable to reach top officials in the interior and defense ministries, and several high-profile politicians had already hurried to the airport. By 2 p.m., the Taliban had entered the city facing no resistance; the president soon fled by helicopter from the Presidential Palace, and within hours Taliban fighters were pictured sitting at Ghani's desk in the palace.[446] With the virtual collapse of the republic, the war was declared over by the Taliban on the same day.[447]

As the Taliban seized control, the need to evacuate populations vulnerable to the Taliban, including the interpreters and assistants who had worked with the coalition forces, ethnic minorities, and women, became urgent. For more than two weeks, international diplomatic, military and civilian staff, as well as Afghan civilians, were airlifted out the country from Hamid Karzai International Airport. On 16 August Major General Hank Taylor confirmed that US air strikes had ended at least 24 hours earlier and that the focus of the US military at that point was maintaining security at the airport as evacuations continued.[448] The final flight, a US Air Force C-17, departed at 3:29 p.m. ET, 11:59 p.m. in Kabul time, on 30 August, marking the end of the American campaign in Afghanistan.[449] This marked the end of America's longest war.[85][450][451][452]

## Impact

[edit]

Main article: Impact of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

### Casualties

[edit]

Main article: Civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Victims of the Narang night raid that killed at least 10 Afghan civilians, December 2009

According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University, the war killed 46,319 Afghan civilians in Afghanistan. However, the death toll is possibly higher due to unaccounted deaths by "disease, loss of access to food, water, infrastructure, and/or other indirect consequences of the war."[86] A report titled Body Count put together by Physicians for Social Responsibility, Physicians for Global Survival and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) concluded that 106,000–170,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the fighting in Afghanistan at the hands of all parties to the conflict.[453] The Taliban suffered more than 80,000 killed among its fighters.[67]

The majority of civilian casualties were attributed to anti-government elements each year, though the figure varied from 61% to 80%, with the average hovering around 75% due to the Taliban and other anti-government elements.[454][455][456][457][458] The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) started publishing civilian casualty figures in 2008. These figures attribute approximately 41% of civilian casualties to government aligned forces in 2008; this percentage lowers to approximately 18% in 2015.[459]

Civilian deaths caused by non-Afghan Coalition forces were low later in the war after most foreign troops were withdrawn and the coalition shifted to airstrikes. For example, in 2015 pro-government forces caused 17% of civilian deaths and injuries – including United States and NATO troops, which were responsible for only 2% of the casualties.[460] 2016 had a similar 2% figure. Civilian deaths were higher as well in the latter part of the war, with 2015 and 2016 both consecutively breaking the record of annual civilian deaths according to the UN.[461]

A prospective study of injuries caused by anti-personnel IEDs was reported in BMJ Open. It showed the injuries to be far worse with IEDs than with landmines, causing multiple limb amputations and lower body mutilation.[462] In an accompanying press release, BMJ considered the anti-personnel IED to cause 'superfluous injury and unnecessary suffering'. Use of weapons that cause superfluous injury and unnecessary suffering is considered a war crime.[463]

### Refugees

[edit]

Main article: Afghan refugees

Foreign donated clothing being handed out by an Afghan civil officer to children at a refugee camp, 2011

Millions of Afghans have been internally displaced or become refugees as a result of decades of conflict in Afghanistan since 1979. From 2002 to 2012, more than 5.7 million former refugees returned to Afghanistan, increasing the country's population by 25%.[464][465] 2.6 million Afghans remained refugees in 2021 when the Taliban took over,[88][466] while another 4 million were internally displaced.[88] Following the Taliban takeover, over 122,000 people were airlifted abroad from Kabul airport, during the evacuation from Afghanistan, including Afghans, American citizens, and other foreign citizens.[467]

### War crimes

[edit]

Main articles: War crimes in Afghanistan and International Criminal Court investigation in Afghanistan

Afghan boy murdered on 15 January 2010 by a group of US Army soldiers called the Kill Team

War crimes have been committed by both sides including civilian massacres, bombings of civilian targets, terrorism, use of torture and the murder of prisoners of war. Additional common crimes include theft, arson, and destruction of property not warranted by military necessity.

The Taliban committed war crimes during the war including massacres, suicide bombing, anti-personnel IED use, terrorism, and targeting civilians (such as using human shields).[468][469] In 2011, The New York Times reported that the Taliban was responsible for 3⁄4 of all civilian deaths in the war in Afghanistan.[470][471] United Nations reports have consistently blamed the Taliban and other anti-government forces for the majority of civilian deaths in the conflict.[461][454][472] Other crimes include mass rape and executing surrendered soldiers.[473][474]

War crimes committed by the Coalition, Afghan security forces, and Northern Alliance included massacres, prisoner mistreatment, and killings of civilians. Amnesty International accused the Pentagon of covering up evidence related to war crimes, torture and unlawful killings in Afghanistan.[475] Notable incidents include the Dasht-i-Leili massacre,[476] Bagram torture and prisoner abuse,[477] Kandahar massacre,[478] among others.

In 2020, the International Criminal Court investigation in Afghanistan formally commenced, investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by all parties in Afghanistan since 1 May 2013.[479] On 22 March 2023, the British government launched a public inquiry to investigate reports of alleged unlawful killings by UKSF personnel during the war in Afghanistan.[480] Judge Charles Haddon-Cave chairs the public inquiry.[481]

### Drug trade

[edit]

Main article: Opium production in Afghanistan

In 2000, Afghanistan accounted for an estimated 75% of the world's opium supply,[482] which was the Taliban's largest source of revenue through taxes on opium exports.[483] Mullah Omar banned opium cultivation in 2001,[484] which observers said was an attempt to gain international recognition, raise opium prices and increase profit from the sale of large existing stockpiles.[483] Opium production increased in the years following the October 2001 invasion, with Afghanistan producing 90% of the world's opium by 2005.[485] According to a 2018 SIGAR report, the US had spent $8.6 billion since 2002 to stop Afghanistan's drug trade. A May 2021 SIGAR report estimated that the Taliban earned 60% of their revenue from the trade, while UN officials estimated more than $400 million was earned by the Taliban between 2018 and 2019, however other experts estimated that the Taliban earned at most $40 million annually.[486]

## NATO's inability to stabilize Afghanistan

[edit]

Further information: History of the Afghan Armed Forces (2002–2021)

Observers have argued that the mission in Afghanistan was hampered by a lack of agreement on objectives, a lack of resources, lack of coordination, too much focus on the central government at the expense of local and provincial governments, and too much focus on the country instead of the region.[487]

### Environment and drug trade

[edit]

According to Cara Korte, climate change played a significant role in increasing instability in Afghanistan and strengthening the Taliban. More than 60% of the Afghan population depend on agriculture and Afghanistan is the sixth most vulnerable country to climate change in the world according to the United Nations Environment Program and Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency. The Taliban used resentment over government inaction to climate change-induced drought and flooding to strengthen its support and Afghans were able to earn more money supporting the Taliban than from farming.[488]

Despite efforts to eradicate poppy, Afghanistan remained the world's largest producer of illicit opiate by the end of the war. The Taliban profited at least tens of millions of dollars from opium and heroin annually as of 2018.[489]

### Early mistakes and the US's other war

[edit]

Journalist Jason Burke notes "strategic mistakes by the US and allies in the immediate aftermath of the 2001 invasion" as being a reason why the war went on for so long. He also noted "missed early opportunities" to "construct a stable political settlement."[490]

Steve Coll believes that "No small part of N.A.T.O.'s ultimate failure to stabilize Afghanistan flowed from the disastrous decision by George W. Bush to invade Iraq in 2003. ... The Taliban's comeback, America's initial inattention to it, and the attraction for some Afghans and Pakistanis of the Taliban's ideology of national resistance under Islamic principles—all these sources of failure cannot be understood in isolation from the Iraq war." Coll further notes that neither the Bush nor the Obama administrations achieved consensus on key questions such as the relative importance of nation-building versus counterterrorism, whether the stability of Afghanistan took priority over that of Pakistan, or the role of the drug trade, although "the failure to solve the riddle of ISI and to stop its covert interference in Afghanistan became ... the greatest strategic failure of the American war."[491]

### Domestic corruption and politics

[edit]

Presidents Hamid Karzai and Barack Obama in 2009

In 2009, Afghanistan was ranked as the world's second most-corrupt country.[492] A lengthy report by SIGAR, and other findings, found that spiraling corruption in Afghanistan during the 2000s was not halted by the United States. During this time, many elite figures in the country had effectively become kleptocrats, while ordinary Afghans were struggling.[489]

It has been argued that the restoration of monarchy in Afghanistan should not have been vetoed, as this may have provided stability to the country.[493][494][495][496]

### Influence of non-NATO actors

[edit]

Pakistan played a central role in the conflict. A 2010 report published by the London School of Economics says that Pakistan's ISI has an "official policy" of support to the Taliban.[497] "Pakistan appears to be playing a double-game of astonishing magnitude", the report states.[497] Regarding the Afghan War documents leak, Der Spiegel wrote that "the documents clearly show that the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (usually known as the ISI) is the most important accomplice the Taliban has outside of Afghanistan."[498] Amrullah Saleh, former director of Afghanistan's intelligence service, stated, "We talk about all these proxies [Taliban, Haqqanis] but not the master of proxies, which is the Pakistan army. The question is what does Pakistan's army want to achieve ...? They want to gain influence in the region."[499] Pakistan's role can be traced back to the Soviet war in which they funded the Mujahideen against the Soviets. Pakistan's objective then as it is now is to ensure that Afghanistan has a regime friendly to their interests and will provide "geopolitical depth in any future conflict with India."[500]

Iran also sought to influence the war. During the course of the war, the US took out two of Iran's regional enemies: Saddam Hussein through the Iraq War as well as the Taliban. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are other 'dominant players' that influenced the war. Iran and the Taliban formed ties, with Russian assistance as well, to 'bleed' the American force. Iran and Russia, emboldened by their alliance in the Syrian Civil War, initiated a 'proxy war' in Afghanistan against the US. The Taliban received economic support from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Pakistan has given economic support and encouraged increased Iran-Taliban ties.[501]

China has been quietly expanding its influence. Since 2010 China has signed mining contracts with Kabul[502] and is building a military base in Badakshan to counter regional terrorism (from the ETIM).[503] China has donated billions of dollars in aid over the years to Afghanistan, which plays a strategic role in the Belt and Road Initiative.[503] Additionally, after 2011 Pakistan expanded its economic and military ties to China as a hedge against dependency on the US. Coll observes that "Overall, the war left China with considerable latitude in Central Asia, without having made any expenditure of blood, treasure, or reputation."[504]

### American public misleading

[edit]

In December 2019 The Washington Post published 2,000 pages of government documents, mostly transcripts of interviews with more than 400 key figures involved in prosecuting the Afghanistan war. According to the Post and The Guardian, the documents (dubbed the Afghanistan Papers) showed that US officials consistently and deliberately misled the American public about the unwinnable nature of the conflict,[505] and some commentators and foreign policy experts subsequently drew comparisons to the release of the Pentagon Papers.[505][506]

## Foreign support for the Taliban

[edit]

### Pakistan

[edit]

The Taliban's victory was facilitated in support from Pakistan. Although Pakistan was a major US ally before and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, elements of the Pakistan government (including the military and intelligence services) have for decades maintained strong logistical and tactical ties with Taliban militants, and this support helped support the insurgency in Afghanistan.[507][508] For example, the Haqqani Network, a Taliban affiliate based on Pakistan, had strong support from Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistan intelligence agency.[507] Taliban leaders found a safe haven in Pakistan, lived in the country, transacted business and earned funds there, and received medical treatment there.[507][508] Some elements of the Pakistani establishment sympathized with Taliban ideology, and many Pakistan officials considered the Taliban as an asset against India.[507][508] Bruce Riedel noted that "The Pakistan Army believes Afghanistan provides strategic depth against India, which is their obsession."[508]

### Russia and Iran

[edit]

In the initial aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Iranian forces, led by Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Suleimani initially cooperated, secretly, with American officials against Al-Qaeda operatives and the Taliban, but that cooperation ended after the Axis of Evil Speech on January 29, 2002, which included calling Iran a major state sponsor of terror and threat to peace in the region. Afterwards, Iranian forces became increasingly hostile to American forces in the region.[138]

Antonio Giustozzi, a senior research fellow at Royal United Services Institute on terrorism and conflict, wrote, "Both the Russians and the Iranians helped the Taliban advance at a breakneck pace in May–August 2021. They contributed to funding and equipping them, but perhaps even more importantly they helped them by brokering deals with parties, groups, and personalities close to either country, or even both. [...] The Revolutionary Guards helped the Taliban's advance in western Afghanistan, including by lobbying various strongmen and militia commanders linked to Iran not to resist the Taliban."[509]

## Reactions

[edit]

Main article: Reactions to the Afghanistan War (2001–2021)

### Domestic reactions

[edit]

A US marine interacting with Afghan children in Helmand Province

In November 2001, the CNN reported widespread relief amongst Kabul's residents after the Taliban fled the city, with young men shaving off their beards and women taking off their burqas.[510] Later that month the BBC's longtime Kabul correspondent Kate Clark reported that "almost all women in Kabul are still choosing to veil" but that many felt hopeful that the ousting of the Taliban would improve their safety and access to food.[511]

A 2006 WPO opinion poll found that the majority of Afghans endorsed America's military presence, with 83% of Afghans stating that they had a favorable view of the US military forces in their country. Only 17% gave an unfavorable view. 82% of Afghans, among all ethnic groups including Pashtuns, stated that the overthrowing of the Taliban was a good thing. However, the majority of Afghans held negative views on Pakistan and most Afghans also stated that they believe that the Pakistani government was allowing the Taliban to operate from its soil.[512]

A 2015 survey by Langer Research Associates found that 80% of Afghans held the view that it was a good thing for the United States to overthrow the Taliban in 2001. More Afghans blamed the Taliban or al-Qaeda for the country's violence (53%) than those who blame the US (12%).[513] A 2019 survey by The Asia Foundation found that 13.4% of Afghans had sympathy for the Taliban while 85.1% of respondents had no sympathy for the group. 88.6% of urban residents had no sympathy compared to 83.9% of rural residents.[514]

### International public opinion

[edit]

22 June 2007 demonstration in Québec City against the Canadian military involvement in Afghanistan

Main article: International public opinion on the war in Afghanistan

In October 2001 when the invasion began, polls indicated that about 88% of Americans and about 65% of Britons backed military action.[515] An Ipsos-Reid poll conducted between November and December 2001 showed that majorities in Canada (66%), France (60%), Germany (60%), Italy (58%), and the UK (65%) approved of US airstrikes while majorities in Argentina (77%), China (52%), South Korea (50%), Spain (52%), and Turkey (70%) opposed them.[516]

In 2008 there was a strong opposition to the war in Afghanistan in 21 of 24 countries surveyed. Only in the US and Great Britain did half the people support the war, with a larger percentage (60%) in Australia.[517] Of the seven NATO countries in the survey, not one showed a majority in favor of keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – one, the US, came close to a majority (50%). Of the other six NATO countries, five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as possible.[517] An April 2011 Pew Research Center poll showed little change in American views, with about 50% saying that the effort was going very well or fairly well and only 44% supporting NATO troop presence in Afghanistan.[518]

### Protests, demonstrations and rallies

[edit]

Further information: Protests against the war in Afghanistan

The war was the subject of large protests around the world, starting with the large-scale demonstrations in the days leading up to the invasion and every year since. Many protesters considered the bombing and invasion of Afghanistan to be unjustified aggression.[519] Dozens of organizations held a national march for peace in Washington, D.C., on 20 March 2010.[520]

## Aftermath

[edit]

Main article: Aftermath of the Afghanistan War (2001–2021)

### Formation of the Taliban government and international recognition

[edit]

Main articles: Recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and List of decrees by Hibatullah Akhundzada

Taliban fighters at a market in Kabul, September 2021. A vendor selling Islamic Emirate flags can be seen.

On 7 September 2021, an interim government headed by Mohammad Hassan Akhund as Prime Minister was declared by the Taliban.[521]

### Continuing Conflict

[edit]

Despite the fall of the Republican government and the complete Taliban takeover, conflict has been continuing in Afghanistan into 2025 in multiple forms. Republican groups in armed resistance and terrorist groups opposed to the Taliban continue to pose significant challenges to their rule and the stability of the country. The presence of other terrorist groups in spite of or in cohort with the Taliban further endangers the country's future stability as they invite the possibility of foreign military action inside Afghanistan either against individual groups or the Taliban government for once again being deemed to provide these groups with a safe haven.[522]

#### Republican insurgency

[edit]

Main article: Republican insurgency in Afghanistan

One remaining Republican holdout operating in Panjshir Valley, which had not been taken by Taliban forces up to that point, was defeated in mid-September 2021, and the resistance leaders reportedly fled to neighboring Tajikistan.[523]However, fighting between Taliban and pro-republican forces continued in other provinces.

Several regions had become the site of a guerrilla campaign by early 2022.[524] As of October 2022 at least 14 armed anti-Taliban resistance groups, including the National Resistance Front, Afghanistan Freedom Front, Supreme Resistance Council, Freedom Uprising[525] are active in Afghanistan.

#### Terrorist groups and terrorism against the Taliban government

[edit]

While the Taliban promised in the 2020 Doha Agreement to cut ties with Al-Qaeda and to not provide a save haven for terrorist groups and has taken significant action to suppress groups hostile to it make others fall in line, multiple designated armed groups (including al-Qaeda) operate in Afghanistan, although the relationship between these groups and the Taliban government is not uniform, with some groups regarding the Taliban as enemies and carrying out actions in resistance to Taliban rule.[526][522][527]

#### Islamic State activity

[edit]

Main article: Islamic State–Taliban conflict

As of October 2024, Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP; the regional branch of the Islamic State) is the largest and strongest terror groups active in Afghanistan,[522] with the Taliban appearing to view ISKP as the primary threat to their rule.[526]

Following the 2021 Kabul airport attack conducted by the group, the US said it could work with the Taliban to fight against the ISIS terrorists as part of the International military intervention against ISIL.[528]

#### Other active armed groups

[edit]

Various armed groups besides the anti-Taliban regional Islamic State branch (ISKP) and Republican insurgent groups operate within the region. Since the Taliban takeover, some of the Taliban-allied groups seem to be serving specific roles for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[529]

Some of them include:

* Haqqani Network
A highly organized and connected group that has over time become a Taliban element. The group has been tasked with matters of internal security in Kabul[529] or beyond[530] after the city was seized.
* Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS)
The regional al-Qaeda branch, which is allied to the Taliban.
* Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
A group-collective with low cohesion operating along the Afghan-Pakistan border in resistance to the current Pakistani state. Its leader formally pledged allegiance to Taliban (who publicly rejected it), groups under TTP have variously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State instead. The group had fractured and recombined many times creating both short- and long-lived splinters that make statements on allegiance difficult.[531]
* Jundullah
A former TTP affiliate that now pledges allegiance to the Islamic State.[532]
* Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP)
Claims to be an independent group but is accused of being a TTP front for either avoiding public condemnation or to enable to continue attacks in Pakistan while shielding the Taliban from Pakistani accusations of sheltering TTP militants.[533][534]
* Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP)
A group looking to establish an Islamic state in East-Central Asia and Xinjiang. They have a cordial relationship with the Taliban, but the Taliban seem to have made efforts to remove them from the Chinese border region to not upset China.[535]
* Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
Some time after the original IMU was absorbed into ISKP in mid-2015 a faction using the group's name appeared. The new group has signaled loyalty to al-Qaeda and the Taliban while opposing the Islamic State.[536]
* Jamaat Ansarullah (JA)
An islamic-nationalist group opposed to the government of Tajikistan. They are tasked with border security on the Afghan-Tajik border.[537]

#### Taliban action to counter domestic threats

[edit]

The Taliban have been making a major effort to suppress hostile groups and to make rogue elements fall in line with their government. The Taliban's first method of combating rogue elements had been to publicly downplay any threats while crushing the source with brute force, including collective punishment, ethnic and religious profiling, arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
The Taliban have since recognized how such methods can be counterproductive to stability and the legitimacy of their government and have since experimented with more measured approaches such as disarmament and reconciliation. The more soft-handed methods includes the transfer of personnel to prevent feuds, releasing prisoners in cooperation with tribal leaders and enlisting religious scholars to persuade the people to not violently resist.[522]

They have also again offered amnesty to anyone to anyone who won't fight them and engaged their former enemies with pleas to cooperate to rebuild the state and its institutions and security apparatus.[522]

### Abandonment of Afghan allies

[edit]

As many as 150,000 Afghans who assisted the United States remained in Afghanistan, including individuals who worked closely with US military forces.[538] Hundreds of former Afghan special forces who fought alongside British troops in Afghanistan have been barred from resettling in the UK.[539][540] One former UK Special Forces officer told the BBC that "At a time when certain actions by UK Special Forces are under investigation by a public inquiry, their headquarters also had the power to prevent former Afghan Special Forces colleagues and potential witnesses to these actions from getting safely to the UK."[541]

### Humanitarian crisis

[edit]

Following the Taliban takeover, western nations suspended humanitarian aid and the World Bank and International Monetary Fund also halted payments to Afghanistan.[542][543] The Biden administration froze about $9 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central banks, blocking the Taliban from accessing billions of dollars held in US bank accounts.[544] In October 2021, the UN stated that more than half of Afghanistan's 39 million people faced an acute food shortage.[545] On 11 November 2021, the Human Rights Watch reported that Afghanistan is facing widespread famine due to collapsed economy and broken banking system.[543] World leaders pledged $1.2 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.[544] On 22 December 2021, The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a US-proposed resolution to help humanitarian aid reach desperate Afghans, while seeking to keep funds out of Taliban hands.[546]

On 29 August 2022, U.N. humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, warned about Afghanistan's deepening poverty with 6 million people at risk of famine. He stated that conflict, poverty, climate shocks and food insecurity "have long been a sad reality" in Afghanistan, but almost a year after the Taliban takeover, halt to large-scale development aid have made the situation critical.[547]

## See also

[edit]

* Afghanistan portal
* Modern history portal

* Afghan War documents leak
* Criticism of the war on terror
* Environmental impacts of war in Afghanistan
* List of Afghanistan War (2001–2021) documentaries
* List of aviation accidents and incidents in the war in Afghanistan
* List of conflicts in Asia
* List of military operations in the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* NATO logistics in the Afghan War
* The American War in Afghanistan: A History nonfiction book by Carter Malkasian 2021.
* U.S. government response to the September 11 attacks

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Bordering areas of Pakistan were also affected (War in North-West Pakistan), and was considered for some time to be a single theater of operations by the United States (AfPak).
2. ^ Per figures released by Canadian Department of National Defence in June 2013, 635 were listed as WIA (wounded in action) while 1,436 were listed as NBI (non-battle injuries).[63]

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[edit]

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## Sources

[edit]

* Coll, Steve (2004). Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59420-007-6.
* Coll, Steve (2018). Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-84614-660-2.
* Girardet, Edward (2011). Killing the Cranes: A Reporter's Journey Through Three Decades of War in Afghanistan (3 August 2011 ed.). Chelsea Green Publishing. p. 416.
* "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States". 9–11 Commission. 20 September 2004. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
* Risen, James (4 September 2008). State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 978-1-84737-511-7.
* Auerswald, David P. & Stephen M. Saideman, eds. NATO in Afghanistan: Fighting Together, Fighting Alone (Princeton U.P. 2014) This book breaks down the history of the US effort in Afghanistan down by deployed commander. Also useful in this fashion are Kaplan, "The Insurgents", and "A Different Kind of War."
* Mikulaschek, Christoph and Jacob Shapiro. (2018). Lessons on Political Violence from America's Post-9/11 Wars. Journal of Conflict Resolution 62(1): 174–202.
* Münch, Philipp. "Creating common sense: getting NATO to Afghanistan." Journal of Transatlantic Studies (2021): 1–29 online.
* Stewart, Richard W. (2004). Operation Enduring Freedom. BG John S. Brown. United States Army. p. 46\. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007.
* AEI (24 July 2008). "America and the War on Terror". AEI Public Opinion Study. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015.
* Call, Steve (15 January 2010). Danger Close. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-60344-304-3.
* Rashid, Ahmed (2022). Taliban: The Power of Militant Islam in Afghanistan and Beyond (3rd ed.). Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-26682-5.
* Weigand, Florian (2022). Waiting for Dignity: Legitimacy and Authority in Afghanistan. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-20049-3.
* Woodward, Bob (27 September 2010). Obama's Wars. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-7251-3.

## External links

[edit]

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Media from Commons
* Quotations from Wikiquote
* Data from Wikidata

* 75,000 documents Archived 10 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine on Wikileaks
* "America and the Taliban". Frontline. Season 41. Episode 12. 4 April 2023. PBS. WGBH. Retrieved 6 October 2023.

* v
* t
* e

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Overview|

* Prelude
* History
* Timeline
* Operations
* Logistics
* Impact
* International Security Assistance Force
* Taliban insurgency
* Drone strikes in Pakistan
* Withdrawal of U.S. troops
* 2011–2016
* 2020–2021
* Resolute Support Mission
* Evacuation

Casualties
and losses|

* Afghan forces
* Civilian
* 2001–2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2011
* 2012
* Coalition
* United States
* United Kingdom
* Canadian
* German
* Australian
* Norwegian
* Aviation incidents

Timeline|

| 2001|

* Bombing of Kandahar
* Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif
* Siege of Kunduz
* Herat uprising
* Fall of Kabul
* Battle of Tarinkot
* Fall of Kandahar
* Battle of Qala-i-Jangi
* Dasht-i-Leili massacre
* Battle of Shawali Kowt
* Battle of Sayyd Alma Kalay
* Battle of Tora Bora

|

2002
–2006|

* 2002
* Guantanamo Bay
* Uruzgan bombing
* Kabul bombing
* 2003
* Pakistan Embassy in Kabul attack
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* Taliban offensive

2007|

* Shinwar shooting
* Hyderabad airstrike
* Nangar Khel incident
* Helmand airstrikes
* Baghlan bombing
* Bagram bombing
* South Korean hostage crisis

2008|

* Haska Meyna airstrike
* Azizabad airstrike
* Wech Bagtu airstrike
* Kabul Indian embassy bombing
* Kabul S Hotel attack
* Kidnapping of David Rohde
* Sarposa attack
* Kandahar bombing
* Spin Boldak bombing

2009|

* Granai airstrike
* Kunduz airstrike
* Narang raid
* February Kabul raids
* Kabul Indian embassy bombing
* Kandahar bombing
* NATO HQ bombing
* Camp Chapman attack
* Battle of Sabzak

2010|

* January Kabul attack
* Raid on Khataba
* February Kabul attack
* Uruzgan attack
* Sangin airstrike
* Maywand murders
* Tarok Kolache
* Nadahan bombing
* May Kabul bombing
* Badakhshan massacre
* Operation Halmazag

2011|

* Mano Gai airstrike
* Sarposa prison escape
* Bin Laden raid
* Logar bombing
* I-C Hotel Kabul attack
* Nimruz bombing
* Zabul bombing
* Chinook shootdown
* Helmand killing
* Pakistani border attack
* Ashura bombings

2012|

* Order of battle
* Urination video
* Kapisa airstrike
* Quran burning protests
* April attacks
* Forward Operating Base Delhi massacre
* Kandahar massacre
* September Camp Bastion raid
* Shesh Aba raid
* Body pictures

2013|

* Farah attack
* June Kabul bombings
* Presidential palace attack
* Herat U.S. consulate attack
* Jalalabad Indian consulate bombing

2014|

* Kabul S Hotel attack
* Herat Indian consulate attack
* Bagram bombing
* Paktika bombing
* Yahyakhel bombing
* December Kabul bombings
* Atiqullah Raufi assassination

2015|

* Park Palace attack
* Kabul Parliament attack
* Khost bombing
* April Jalalabad bombing
* 7 August Kabul attacks
* 10 August Kabul bombing
* 22 August Kabul bombing
* Ghazni prison escape
* Battle of Kunduz
* Hospital airstrike
* Kandahar Airport bombing
* Kabul Spanish Embassy attack
* Bagram bombing

2016|

* Nangarhar offensive
* Operation Omari
* April Kabul attack
* Kunduz-Takhar highway hostage crisis
* Kabul Canadian Embassy convoy bombing
* 30 June bombings
* July Kabul bombing
* Janikhel offensive
* AUoA attack
* September Kabul attacks
* Battle of Tarinkot
* Battle of Kunduz
* Battle of Boz Qandahari
* Mazar-i-Sharif German consulate bombing
* Bagram bombing

2017|

* January bombings
* Sangin airstrike
* March Kabul attack
* Nangarhar airstrike
* Camp Shaheen attack
* May Kabul bombing
* June Herat bombing
* Battle of Bora Bora
* June Lashkargar bombing
* August Herat attack
* 17 October attacks
* 20 October attacks
* 28 December Kabul bombing

2018|

* I-C Hotel Kabul attack
* STC Jalalabad attack
* Kabul ambulance bombing
* March Kabul bombing
* Kunduz madrassa attack
* 22 April Kabul bombing
* 30 April Kabul bombings
* Battle of Farah
* July Jalalabad bombing
* Battle of Darzab
* Ghazni offensive
* September Jalalabad bombing

2019|

* Maidan Shar attack
* Camp Shorabak attack
* 2019 Kabul mosque bombing
* 1 July Kabul attack
* Ghazni bombing
* 28 July Kabul bombing
* July Farah bombing
* 7 August Kabul bombing
* 17 August Kabul bombing
* 2 & 5 September Kabul bombings
* 17 September bombings
* Qalat bombing
* Jalalabad suicide bombing
* Haska Meyna mosque bombing
* Bagram attack

2020|

* 6 March Kabul shooting
* Kabul gurdwara attack
* May attacks
* June attacks
* July attacks
* August attacks
* Jalalabad prison
* September attacks
* October attacks
* November attacks
* Kabul University attack
* December attacks

2021|

* Attacks
* Taliban offensive
* Kabul school bombing
* Battle of Kandahar
* Fall of Herat
* Battle of Lashkargah
* Capture of Zaranj
* Fall of Kabul
* Kunduz mosque bombing
* Kandahar bombing
* 2021 Kabul airlift
* Operation Allies Refuge
* Operation Pitting
* Operation Devi Shakti
* Kabul airport attack
* August 29 drone strike

Aftermath|

* Recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
* Republican insurgency
* Islamic State–Taliban conflict
* Afghan frozen assets

War crimes|

* ICC investigation
* Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission
* UK Afghan Unlawful Killings inquiry
* Australian Brereton Inquiry
* War crimes by the Taliban
* Kunduz hospital airstrike
* Kandahar massacre
* Torture
* Bagram torture and prisoner abuse
* Salt Pit

Peace
process|

* Afghan peace process
* Afghan peace groups
* Tabassum movement
* Enlightenment Movement
* Uprising for Change
* People's Peace Movement
* 2021–2022 Afghan protests

Reactions|

* Afghan War documents leak
* International public opinion
* Opposition
* Protests
* To the fall of Kabul

Memorials|

* London

* Category
* Multimedia
* Wikinews
* Portal

Related articles

* v
* t
* e

War on terror

* September 11 attacks
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (Withdrawal)
* Iraq War (2003–2011) (Withdrawal)

Participants|

| Operational|

* ISAF
* Operation Enduring Freedom participants
* Afghanistan
* Northern Alliance
* Iraq (Iraqi Armed Forces)
* NATO
* Pakistan
* United Kingdom
* United States
* European Union
* Philippines
* Ethiopia

|

Targets|

| Individuals|

* Osama bin Laden
* Hamza bin Laden
* Anwar al-Awlaki
* Sirajuddin Haqqani
* Jalaluddin Haqqani
* Anas Haqqani
* Khalil Haqqani
* Hafiz Saeed
* Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed Bahaziq
* Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

|

Factions|

* al-Qaeda
* al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
* Abu Sayyaf
* Al-Shabaab
* Boko Haram
* Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami
* Hizbul Mujahideen
* Islamic Courts Union
* Jaish-e-Mohammed
* Jemaah Islamiyah
* Lashkar-e-Taiba
* Taliban
* Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
* Islamic State

Conflicts|

| Operation
Enduring Freedom|

* War in Afghanistan
* OEF – Philippines
* Georgian involvement in the Iraq War
* OEF – Horn of Africa
* OEF – Trans Sahara
* Drone strikes in Pakistan

|

Other|

* Operation Active Endeavour
* Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
* Insurgency in the North Caucasus
* Moro conflict in the Philippines
* Iraq War
* Iraqi insurgency
* Operation Linda Nchi
* Terrorism in Saudi Arabia
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* War in Somalia (2006–2009)
* 2007 Lebanon conflict
* al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen

Policies|

* Patriot Act (2001)
* Torture Memos (2002)
* Military Commissions Act of 2006
* Military Commissions Act of 2009
* President's Surveillance Program
* Protect America Act of 2007
* Terrorist Surveillance Program

Related|

* Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
* Axis of evil
* Bush Doctrine
* Clash of Civilizations
* Cold War
* Combatant Status Review Tribunal
* Criticism of the war on terror
* CIA black sites
* Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri
* Killing of Osama bin Laden
* Enhanced interrogation techniques
* Extrajudicial prisoners
* Extraordinary rendition
* Guantanamo Bay detention camp
* Iranian Revolution
* Islamic terrorism
* Islamism
* North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
* Operation Noble Eagle
* Operation Eagle Assist
* Situation Room photograph
* State Sponsors of Terrorism
* Targeted killing
* Targeted Killing in International Law
* Targeted Killings: Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World
* Unitary executive theory
* Unlawful combatant
* CAGE

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

September 11 attacks

Timeline|

* Planning
* September 11, 2001
* World Trade Center collapse
* 7 World Trade Center collapse
* Remainder of September
* October
* Post-October

Victims|

* Casualties
* List
* A–G
* H–N
* O–Z

Hijacked airliners|

* American Airlines Flight 11
* United Airlines Flight 175
* American Airlines Flight 77
* United Airlines Flight 93
* Suspected hijackings
* Korean Air Flight 085
* Delta Air Lines Flight 1989

Crash sites|

* World Trade Center
* site
* The Pentagon
* Stonycreek / Shanksville, Pennsylvania

Aftermath|

* Immediate repercussions
* artwork destroyed
* buildings destroyed
* closings and cancellations
* detentions
* Communication
* Post-9/11
* economy
* local health
* airport security
* Reactions
* conspiracy theories
* Rudy Giuliani
* Unsuccessful terrorist plots

Response|

* U.S. government response
* U.S. military response
* War on terror
* Afghanistan
* North-West Pakistan
* Rescue and recovery effort
* maritime response
* Financial assistance
* Operation SUPPORT
* Operation Yellow Ribbon
* Memorials and services
* 9/11 Memorial and Museum
* Flight 93 National Memorial
* Pentagon Memorial
* Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial
* World Trade Center Health Program
* Killing of Osama bin Laden
* Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri

Perpetrators|

* Responsibility
* Al-Qaeda
* Osama bin Laden
* Alleged Saudi role
* Motives
* Hijackers
* 20th hijacker
* Hamburg cell
* Trials

Inquiries|

* U.S. congressional inquiry
* the 28 pages
* September 11 intelligence before the attacks
* August 2001 CIA warning
* Phoenix Memo
* 9/11 Commission
* Commission Report
* criticism
* NIST investigation
* PENTTBOM
* ThinThread

Cultural effects|

* Cultural references
* songs
* comics
* books
* Cartoonists Remember 9/11
* Entertainment affected
* Humor
* Lost artworks
* Clear Channel memorandum
* Digital Archive

Media documentation|

* 9/10: The Final Hours
* The Falling Man
* Impending Death
* Marcy Borders
* Raising the Flag at Ground Zero
* View from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Manhattan, 9/11
* WPIX September 11 broadcast
* September 11 Photo Project
* 9/11 (2002 film)
* One Day in America
* 102 Minutes That Changed America
* The Love We Make
* 9-11 (book)
* Perfect Soldiers

Miscellaneous|

* Edna Cintrón
* War games
* Patriot Day
* Blind
* Tourist Guy hoax
* Iraq War
* Twin Towers II
* Disappearance of Sneha Anne Philip
* Disappearance of Michele Anne Harris
* Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi
* Killing of Henryk Siwiak
* Mark Anthony Stroman
* Larme Price
* Rudi Dekkers
* Alicia Esteve Head
* Jersey Girls
* Emma E. Booker Elementary School

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Post–Cold War conflicts in Asia

South Asia|

| India|

* Kashmir conflict (1947–present)
* 2013 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
* 2014–2015 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
* 2016–2018 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
* Kargil War (1999)
* Jammu and Kashmir insurgency (1989–present)
* Insurgency in Northeast India (1964–present)
* Insurgency in Punjab (1981–1995)
* Naxalite–Maoist insurgency (1967–present)
* Religious violence in India

|

Pakistan|

* Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
* Kashmir conflict (1947–present)
* 2013 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
* India–Pakistan border skirmishes (2014–2015)
* India–Pakistan border skirmishes (2016–2018)
* Kargil War (1999)
* Jammu and Kashmir insurgency (1989–present)
* Insurgency in Balochistan (2004–present)
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2004–present)
* Insurgency in Sindh (2010–present)
* Religious violence in Pakistan

Sri Lanka|

* JVP insurrection (1971)
* Sri Lankan civil war (1983–2009)
* JVP insurrection (1987–1989)

Others|

* Maldives political crisis (2011–2013)
* Nepalese Civil War (1996–2006)
* Operation All Clear

East Asia|

| China|

* Taiwan Strait Crisis (1996)
* Xinjiang conflict (1960s–present)
* Tibetan unrest (2008)

|

Korea (North
and South)|

* Korean conflict
* Maritime border incidents
* 1994 North Korean nuclear crisis
* 2017–2018 crisis

Taiwan|

* Taiwan Strait Crisis (1996)

Southeast Asia|

| Cambodia|

* Cambodian–Thai border
* 2008–2013 crisis
* 2025–present conflict

|

Indonesia|

* Papua conflict (1962–present)
* Insurgency in Aceh (1976–2005)
* East Indonesia Mujahideen insurgency (2015–2022)

Myanmar|

* Myanmar conflict (1948–present)
* Karen conflict
* Kachin conflict
* Rohingya conflict
* Civil war (2021–present)

Philippines|

* Moro Conflict (1968-2019)
* ISIL Insurgency (2014-present)
* New People's army conflict (1969-present)

Thailand|

* South Thailand insurgency (2004–present)
* Cambodian–Thai border
* 2008–2013 crisis
* 2025–present conflict

East Timor|

* Indonesian occupation (1975–1999)
* East Timor genocide
* 1999 crisis
* 2006 crisis

Others|

* Cambodian Conflict (1979–1998)
* FULRO insurgency (1964–1992)
* Laotian insurgency (1975–2022)
* 2013 Lahad Datu standoff

Central Asia|

| Afghanistan|

* Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
* Afghan conflict
* Civil War
* 1989–1992
* 1992–1996
* 1996–2001
* 2001–2021 War
* Republican insurgency

|

Kazakhstan|

* Ethnic conflicts

Kyrgyzstan|

* 1990 Osh clashes
* 2010 Kyrgyz Revolution
* 2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes

Tajikistan|

* Tajikistani Civil War (1992–1997)
* Insurgency in Gorno-Badakhshan (2010–2015)

Uzbekistan|

* Fergana massacre (1989)
* Andijan massacre (2005)

Western Asia|

| Azerbaijan|

* Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (1988–2024)
* First War
* 2016 conflict
* Second War

|

Bahrain|

* Bahraini uprising (2011)

Iran|

* Kurdish separatism in Iran
* KDPI insurgency (1989–1996)
* Iran–PJAK conflict (2004–2011)
* Western Iran clashes (2016–present)
* Arab separatism in Khuzestan (1922–2020)
* Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict (1979–present)
* Qatif conflict
* Iran–Israel (1985–present)
* South Lebanon (1985–2000)
* Lebanon War (2006)
* Syrian arena (2012–2024)
* Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency (2004–present)

Iraq|

* Iraqi–Kurdish conflict (1918–2003)
* Iraqi Kurdish Civil War (1994–1997
* Iraqi conflict
* Iraqi Kurdistan conflict (2001–2003)
* Iraq War (2003–2011)
* Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* ISIL insurgency (2017–present)

Israel|

* Israeli–Palestinian (1948–present)
* Second Intifada (2000–2005)
* Gaza–Israel (2006–present)
* Iran–Israel (1985–present)
* Syrian arena (2012–2024)

Lebanon|

* South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)
* Lebanon War (2006)
* Conflict in Northern Lebanon (2007)
* Lebanon conflict (2008)

Palestine|

* Israeli–Palestinian (1948–present)
* Second Intifada (2000–2005)
* Gaza–Israel (2006–present)
* Fatah–Hamas conflict (2006–2008)

Saudi Arabia|

* Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict (1979–present)
* Qatif conflict
* Persian Gulf crisis (2019–2021)

Syria|

* Syrian Civil War (2011–present)
* Regional spillover

Turkey|

* Maoist insurgency
* DHKP/C insurgency
* Kurdish–Turkish conflict
* Turkey–ISIL conflict

Yemen|

* Civil war (1994)
* al-Qaeda (1998–2015)
* Houthi (2004–2015)
* South Yemen (2009–2015)
* Yemeni crisis (2011–present)
* Houthi takeover (2014–2015)
* Civil War (2014–present)

Inter-continental
conflict|

* Sinai insurgency (2011–present)

Related topics|

* War on terror
* Operation Inherent Resolve
* Arab Spring
* Arab Winter
* Colour revolutions

* v
* t
* e

Armed conflicts involving the Armed Forces of the United States

Listed chronologically

Domestic|

* Shays' Rebellion
* Whiskey Rebellion
* Fries's Rebellion
* 1811 German Coast uprising
* Turner's Rebellion
* Dorr Rebellion
* Bleeding Kansas
* Utah War
* Harpers Ferry raid
* American Civil War
* New York City draft riots
* American Indian Wars
* Colfax Riot
* Brooks–Baxter War
* Battle of Liberty Place
* Vicksburg riot
* Range War
* Hamburg riot
* Great Railroad Strike of 1877
* Lincoln County War
* Rock Springs Riot
* Seattle riot of 1886
* Johnson County War
* Coal Creek War
* Homestead strike
* Pullman Strike
* Colorado Coalfield War
* Red Summer
* Battle of Blair Mountain
* Tulsa riot
* Bonus Army
* Puerto Rican revolts
* Ole Miss riot of 1962
* 1960s ghetto rebellions
* 1969 Greensboro uprising
* Kent State shootings
* Wounded Knee Occupation
* 1992 Los Angeles riots
* 2020 racial unrest
* 2021 U.S. Capitol attack
* 2025 Los Angeles protests

Foreign|

* American Revolutionary War
* American–Algerian War (1785–1795)
* Quasi-War
* First Barbary War
* War of 1812
* Second Barbary War
* First Sumatran expedition
* Second Sumatran expedition
* 1840 Fiji expedition
* Ivory Coast expedition
* Mexican–American War
* 1855 Fiji expedition
* Second Opium War
* 1858 Fiji expedition
* Formosa Expedition
* Korean Expedition
* Spanish–American War
* Philippine–American War
* Boxer Rebellion
* Banana Wars
* Border War
* World War I
* Russian Civil War
* World War II
* Korean War
* Bay of Pigs Invasion
* Vietnam War
* Dominican Civil War
* Iranian Revolution (Operation Eagle Claw)
* Invasion of Grenada
* Lebanese Civil War (1983 Beirut barracks bombings)
* Invasion of Panama
* Gulf War
* Somali Civil War (Operation Gothic Serpent)
* Intervention in Haiti
* Bosnian War
* Kosovo War
* War in Afghanistan
* Iraq War
* War in North-West Pakistan
* First Libyan Civil War
* War against the Islamic State
* Iraq
* Syria
* Cameroon
* Libya
* Yemeni civil war

Related|

* Conflicts in the U.S.
* Wars involving the U.S.
* Timeline of U.S. military operations
* Length of U.S. participation in major wars
* Territorial evolution
* Military history
* History of the Central Intelligence Agency
* Casualties of war
* Peace movement
* List of anti-war organizations
* Conscientious objector
* Cold War
* War on terror
* War crimes

* v
* t
* e

Wars and battles involving Croatia

Medieval wars
and battles|

| 8th/9th-century battles|

* Siege of Trsat
* Rebellion of Ljudevit
* Battle of Kupa
* Battle of Makarska (887)

|

Croatian–Hungarian wars|

* Battle of Drava River (925)
* Battle of Gvozd Mountain

Croatian–Bulgarian wars|

* Croatian–Bulgarian battle of 854
* Croatian–Bulgarian battle of 927
* Siege of Zadar (998)

Croatian-Venetian wars|

* Battle of Omiš (948)
* Battle of Lastovo (1000)
* Siege of Zadar (1345–1346)
* Battle of Motta (1412)
* Uskok War

High and Late Middle Ages
wars and battles|

* Siege of Zadar
* Fourth Crusade
* Fifth Crusade
* Battle of Mohi
* Battle of Grobnik Field (legendary)
* Battle of Bliska
* War of Hum (1326–1329)
* Bosnian-Dubrovnik War (1403-1404)
* Battle of Samobor
* Crusade of Varna
* Battle of Una
* Battle of Vrpile Gulch

Croatian–Ottoman wars|

| Hundred Years'
Croatian–Ottoman War
(1493–1593)|

* Battle of Krbava Field
* Battle of Dubica
* Siege of Knin
* Battle of Mohács
* Siege of Jajce
* Hungarian campaign of 1527–1528
* Balkan campaign of 1529
* Little War in Hungary
* Siege of Varaždin (1527)
* Battle of Belaj
* Siege of Kőszeg
* Siege of Klis
* Katzianer's Campaign
* Battle of Gorjani
* Siege of Đurđevac (1552)
* Battle of Hrastovica (1561)
* Siege of Szigetvár
* Siege of Gvozdansko
* Battle of Slunj
* Siege of Bihać (1592)
* Battle of Brest (1592)
* Battle of Sisak

|

Long War
(1593–1606)|

* Battle of Brest (1596)
* Battle of Keresztes

Austro-Turkish War
(1663–1664)|

* First Battle of Novi Zrin
* Battle of Otočac (1663)
* Second Battle of Novi Zrin
* Siege of Novi Zrin (1664)
* Battle of Saint Gotthard (1664)

Great Turkish War
(1683–1699)|

* Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian theater in Great Turkish War
* Siege of Virovitica (1684)
* Osijek Incursion (1685)
* Battle of Mohács (1687)
* Siege of Udbina Castle (1689)
* Siege of Bihać (1697)
* Battle of Slankamen
* Battle of Senta

18th-century
Ottoman wars|

* Battle of Saint Gotthard (1705)
* Siege of Sinj (1715)
* Battle of Petrovaradin
* Battle of Banja Luka
* Relief of Drežnik (1788)
* Relief of Cetingrad (1790)

European 17th/18th-
century wars|

| Thirty Years' War|

* Uskok War
* Battle of Sablat
* Siege of Heidelberg (1622)
* Sack of Magdeburg
* Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)
* Battle of Lützen (1632)
* Battle of Nördlingen (1634)

|

Seven Years' War|

* Battle of Lobositz
* Battle of Kolín
* Battle of Breslau (1757)
* Battle of Hochkirch
* Battle of Meissen
* Battle of Landeshut (1760)
* Battle of Liegnitz (1760)

19th-century wars|

| French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic Wars|

* Battle of Castiglione
* Battle of Bassano
* Battle of Ostrach
* Battle of Stockach (1799)
* Battle of Marengo
* Battle of Caldiero (1805)
* Battle of Austerlitz
* Battle of Landshut (1809)
* Battle of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit
* Battle of Sankt Michael
* Battle of Raab (1809)
* Battle of Graz
* Battle of Leipzig

|

Hungarian Revolution
of 1848–49|

* Battle of Pákozd
* Vienna Uprising
* Battle of Schwechat
* Battle of Mór
* Battle of Kápolna
* Battles of Komárom
* First battle)
* Second battle
* Third battle
* Battle of Temesvár

Third Italian War
of Independence|

* Battle of Custoza
* Battle of Vis

Austro-Hungarian –
Bosnia-Herzegovinian War|

* Battle of Jajce (1878)
* Battle of Vitez (1878)
* Battle of Sarajevo (1878)
* Battle of Livno (1878)

20th-century wars|

| World War I|

* Adriatic Campaign
* Battle of Galicia
* Battle of Soča
* Battle of Caporetto
* Bombardment of Ancona
* Second Battle of the Piave River
* Battle of Vittorio Veneto

|

World War II|

* Invasion of Yugoslavia
* Battle of Kozara
* Battle of Livno
* Battle of Stalingrad
* Battle of Neretva
* Operation Otto
* Battle of the Sutjeska
* Raid on Drvar
* Syrmian Front
* Battle of Knin
* Battle of Mostar
* Battle of Lijevče Field
* Battle of Sarajevo (1945)

Croatian War of Independence
(1991–1995)|

* Pakrac clash
* Plitvice Lakes incident
* Borovo Selo killings
* Operation Stinger
* 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia
* Dalj massacre
* Battle of Osijek
* Battle of Vukovar
* Vukovar massacre
* Battle of Gospić
* Battle of Šibenik
* Battle of Zadar
* Battle of Kusonje
* Battle of the Barracks
* Siege of Varaždin Barracks
* Siege of Bjelovar Barracks
* Battle of the Dalmatian Channels
* Gospić massacre
* Siege of Dubrovnik
* Operation Otkos 10
* Operation Orkan 91
* Operation Whirlwind
* Operation Baranja
* Operation Jackal
* Battle of the Miljevci Plateau
* Operation Tiger
* Operation Maslenica
* Daruvar Agreement
* Operation Medak Pocket
* Operation Winter '94
* Operation Flash
* Operation Summer '95
* Operation Storm

War in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(1992–1995)|

* Battle of Kupres (1992)
* Siege of Sarajevo
* Siege of Bihać (1992–95)
* Operation Vrbas '92
* Operation Koridor
* Battle of Žepče
* Siege of Mostar
* Operation Neretva '93
* Operation Tvigi 94
* Battle of Kupres (Operation Cincar)
* Battle of Orašje
* Operation Maestral 2
* Operation Una
* Operation Southern Move

21st-century
conflicts|

| War in Afghanistan
(2001–2021)|

* International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) (2003–2014)
* Resolute Support Mission Force (RS) (2015–2021)

|

Golan Heights ceasefire
after Yom Kippur War|

* United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) (2008–2013)

Category

* v
* t
* e

Armed conflict involving the Pakistan Armed Forces

Domestic|

* Martial law
* Civil unrest in Eastern Pakistan
* Civil unrest in Southern Pakistan
* 1970s
* Taliban insurgency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

India and Pakistan|

* 1947
* 1965
* 1971
* Siachen conflict
* 1999

Afghanistan|

* Waziristan 1948
* Bajaur Campaign
* Panjshir Uprising
* Soviet War
* 1989-92
* 1992-96
* 1996-2001
* 2001-21
* War with Islamic State (2022–Present)

Middle East|

* Arab–Israeli conflict
* 1967
* 1973
* Black September
* Dhofar Rebellion (Oman)
* Gulf War
* Yemen crisis
* Grand Mosque seizure

Worldwide|

* Bosnian War
* Sudanese civil war
* Somalian civil war
* War on terror

Foreign deployments|

* UN peacekeeping missions

Anti-piracy|

* Somalia
* Venezuela

* v
* t
* e

George W. Bush

* 43rd President of the United States (2001–2009)
* 46th Governor of Texas (1995–2000)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* Inaugurations
* 2001
* 2005
* Timeline
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* January 2009
* Domestic policy
* Legislation and programs
* Economic policy
* Foreign policy
* International trips
* Bush Doctrine
* Russia summits
* Slovenia
* Slovakia
* War in Afghanistan
* Patriot Act
* No Child Left Behind Act
* 2003 invasion of Iraq
* Status of Forces Agreement
* Relations with Iran
* Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act
* USA Freedom Corps
* Department of Homeland Security
* Space policy
* Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty
* "War on Terror"
* President's Council on Service and Civic Participation
* award
* Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy
* Email controversy
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court candidates
* John Roberts
* Harriet Miers
* Samuel Alito
* controversies
* Cabinet
* Cheney vice presidency
* Pardons
* Impeachment efforts
* Executive orders
* Presidential proclamations
* State funeral of Ronald Reagan
* State funeral of Gerald Ford
* Obama transition

Life and
legacy|

* Childhood home
* Early life and career
* Presidential library
* Official White House portrait
* Military service controversy
* Killian documents controversy
* authenticity issues
* Professional life
* Governorship of Texas
* Prairie Chapel Ranch
* Walker's Point Estate
* Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

Speeches|

* Joint session of Congress (Feb 2001)
* Remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington (2001)
* Joint session of Congress (September 11 attacks) (2001)
* Mission Accomplished (2003)
* State of the Union addresses
* 2002 ("Axis of evil")
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008

Elections|

| U.S. House|

* 1978

|

Gubernatorial|

* 1994
* 1998

Presidential|

* 2000 campaign
* primaries
* running mate selection
* convention
* debates
* election
* Bush v. Gore
* 2004 campaign
* primaries
* convention
* debates
* election

Public image|

* Bushisms
* Nicknames
* As the subject of books and films
* Fictionalized portrayals
* Miss Me Yet?
* "Yo, Blair"

Books|

* A Charge to Keep (1999)
* Decision Points (2010)
* 41: A Portrait of My Father (2014)
* Portraits of Courage (2017)
* Out of Many, One (2021)

Popular
culture|

* Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004 documentary)
* W. (2008 film)

Family|

* Laura Bush (wife)
* Barbara Pierce Bush (daughter)
* Jenna Bush Hager (daughter)
* George H. W. Bush (father
* presidency)
* Barbara Bush (mother)
* Robin Bush (sister)
* Jeb Bush (brother)
* Neil Bush (brother)
* Marvin Bush (brother)
* Dorothy Bush Koch (sister)
* Barney (dog)
* Miss Beazley (dog)
* India (cat)
* Spot Fetcher (dog)

* ← Bill Clinton
* Barack Obama →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Barack Obama

* 44th President of the United States (2009–2017)
* U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005–2008)
* Illinois Senator from the 13th district (1997–2004)

| Life and
politics|

* Early life and career
* Illinois Senate career
* 2004 Democratic National Convention
* U.S. Senate career
* Political positions
* Administration foreign policy
* Cannabis
* Mass surveillance
* Social
* Space
* 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
* West Wing Week

|

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* Inaugurations
* 2009
* 2013
* First 100 days
* Timeline
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* January 2017
* Foreign policy
* Middle East
* Afghanistan withdrawal
* Iraq withdrawal
* Killing of Osama bin Laden
* Benghazi attack
* Return to Iraq
* War in Syria
* Relations with Iran
* Iran nuclear deal
* Pivot to Asia
* Cuban thaw
* Obama Doctrine
* Europe
* Economic policy
* Affordable Care Act
* American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
* Dodd–Frank Act
* Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
* Energy/Environmental
* Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act
* Marine policy
* New Energy for America
* Regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act
* Clean Power Plan
* Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014
* Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
* New START
* MAP-21st Century Act
* FAST Act
* Pardons
* Presidential trips
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016–17
* international
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court
* Sotomayor
* Kagan
* Garland
* controversies
* Cabinet
* Biden vice presidency
* Presidential Library and Center
* Executive actions
* Executive orders
* Memoranda
* Proclamations
* Trump transition
* Plantation Estate

Books|

* Dreams from My Father (1995)
* The Audacity of Hope (2006)
* Of Thee I Sing (2010)
* A Promised Land (2020)

Speeches|

* "The Audacity of Hope" (2004)
* "Yes We Can" (2008)
* "A More Perfect Union" (2008)
* "Change Has Come to America" (2008)
* "A New Birth of Freedom" (2009)
* Joint session of Congress (2009)
* "A New Beginning" (2009)
* Joint session of Congress (health care reform) (2009)
* State of the Union Address
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* Tucson memorial speech (2011)
* Joint session of Congress (jobs) (2011)
* "You didn't build that" (2012)
* Selma 50th anniversary (2015)
* Farewell address (2017)

Elections|

| Illinois|

* State Senate
* 1996
* 1998
* 2002
* U.S. House of Representatives
* 2000

|

U.S. Senate|

* 2004

Presidential|

* 2008 campaign
* endorsements
* GOP/conservative support
* staff members
* primaries
* primary campaign
* running mate selection
* convention
* debates
* election
* 2012 campaign
* endorsements
* primaries
* convention
* debates
* election

Family|

* Michelle Obama (wife)
* Ann Dunham (mother)
* Barack Obama Sr. (father)
* Lolo Soetoro (stepfather)
* Maya Soetoro-Ng (maternal half-sister)
* Stanley Armour Dunham (maternal grandfather)
* Madelyn Dunham (maternal grandmother)
* Auma Obama (paternal half-sister)
* Malik Obama (paternal half-brother)
* Marian Robinson (mother-in-law)
* Craig Robinson (brother-in-law)
* Bo (family dog)
* Sunny (family dog)

* v
* t
* e

Public image

News and
political events|

* Oprah Winfrey's endorsement
* Citizenship conspiracy theories
* litigation
* Religion conspiracy theories
* Bill Ayers controversy
* Jeremiah Wright controversy
* Republican and conservative support (2008)
* Assassination threats
* 2008 Denver
* 2008 Tennessee
* First inauguration invitations
* Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
* Citizen's Briefing Book
* Tea Party protests
* New Energy for America
* Gates–Crowley Rose Garden meeting
* Firing of Shirley Sherrod
* Impeachment efforts
* Tan suit controversy

Books about|

* Bibliography
* Obama: From Promise to Power
* Barack Obama: Der schwarze Kennedy
* Redemption Song
* The Case Against Barack Obama
* The Obama Nation
* Culture of Corruption
* Catastrophe
* Barack and Michelle
* The Speech
* The Obama Story
* Between Barack and a Hard Place
* Game Change
* Obama Zombies
* Conservative Victory
* The Bridge
* The Obama Diaries
* The Obama Syndrome
* The Obama Identity
* O: A Presidential Novel
* Where's the Birth Certificate?
* Obama's Last Stand
* Barack Obama: The Story
* Game Change 2012
* Buyer's Remorse
* Rising Star
* Shade
* The World as It Is

Music|

* Obama Girl
* "I Got a Crush... on Obama"
* "Barack the Magic Negro"
* will.i.am
* "Yes We Can"
* "The President Sang Amazing Grace"
* "There's No One as Irish as Barack O'Bama"
* "Sí Se Puede Cambiar"
* "My President"
* "Deadheads for Obama"
* "Air and Simple Gifts"
* Change Is Now
* Hope! – Das Obama Musical
* "Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney"
* Barack's Dubs
* "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"

Film, TV,
and stage|

* By the People: The Election of Barack Obama (2009)
* Change (2010)
* Obama Anak Menteng (2010)
* 2016: Obama's America (2012)
* The Road We've Traveled (2012)
* Southside with You (2016)
* Hillary and Clinton (2016)
* Barry (2016)
* America's Great Divide (2020)
* We the People (2021)
* Renegades: Born in the USA (2021)
* Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (2021)
* The First Lady (2022)
* Picturing the Obamas (2022)

Other media|

* Social media use
* Artists for Obama
* "Hope" poster
* "Joker" poster
* Hair Like Mine
* Situation Room
* Iman Crosson
* The Forgotten Man (2010 painting)
* Saraswati (2013 sculpture)
* President Barack Obama (2018 portrait)
* Obama logo
* In comics
* Barack Obama's summer playlist

Related|

* Barack Obama Day (Illinois)
* Obama Day (Kenya)
* Awards and honors
* Namesakes
* Higher Ground Productions
* "One Last Time (44 Remix)"
* Sunlight before signing

* ← George W. Bush
* Donald Trump →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Taliban

Leadership|

* Leadership Council
* Supreme leaders
* Mullah Omar
* Akhtar Mansour
* Hibatullah Akhundzada
* decrees
* Deputy leaders
* Mohammad Rabbani
* Abdul Ghani Baradar
* Sirajuddin Haqqani
* Obaidullah Akhund
* Mullah Yaqoob
* Abdul Kabir
* Tayyab Agha
* Shahabuddin Delawar
* Abdul Hakim Haqqani
* Hasan Akhund
* Amir Khan Muttaqi
* trips
* Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil
* Qari Ahmadullah
* Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai
* Khalil Haqqani
* Commanders
* Dadullah
* Shahzada
* Abdul Qayyum Zakir
* Zain-Ul-Abideen

Government|

* History
* Cabinet (2021–present)
* Religious police
* Propaganda
* Jirga
* Flag
* Emblem
* Motto

Human rights/violations|

* Destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan
* Treatment of women
* War crimes

Military|

* Army
* Air Force
* 55th Arab Brigade
* Red Unit
* Badri 313 Battalion
* Conscription

Conflicts|

* Civil War (1996–2001)
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Insurgency
* leaders
* 2006 offensive
* 2021 offensive
* Fall of Kabul
* Conflict with IS (2015–present)
* Republican insurgency in Afghanistan (2021–present)
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2004–present)

Foreign relations|

* Taliban in Qatar
* International relations with the Taliban
* Recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Related topics|

* Haqqani network
* Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
* Guantanamo detainees
* Islamic state
* Islamism
* Amir al-Mu'minin
* Sharia
* Deobandi
* Pashtunwali
* Safe house
* Talibanization
* Theocracy
* Waziristan
* Anti-intellectualism

* v
* t
* e

Al-Qaeda

Leadership|

* Saif al-Adel
* Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi
* Ali Mohamed Rage
* Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki
* Ahmad Umar
* Iyad Ag Ghaly
* Amadou Koufa
* Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil
* Abu Ubaidah Youssef al-Annabi
* Ali Sayyid Muhamed Mustafa al-Bakri
* Ibrahim al-Banna
* Ibrahim al Qosi
* Abu Walid al-Masri
* Mahad Karate
* Mohammed Showqi Al-Islambouli
* Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir
* Fuad Qalaf
* Jehad Mostafa
* Abu Humam al-Shami
* Sami al-Oraydi

Former
leadership|

| Killed|

* Osama bin Laden (killing)
* Ayman al-Zawahiri (killing)
* Mohammed Atef
* Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi (killing)
* Mustafa Mohamed Fadhil
* Haitham al-Yemeni
* Abu Hamza Rabia
* Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah
* Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
* Omar al-Faruq
* Haitham al-Badri
* Abu Yaqub al-Masri
* Abu Talha al-Sudani
* Abu al-Layth al-Libi
* Abu Sulayman Al-Jazairi
* Midhat Mursi
* Mohamed Moumou
* Khalid Habib
* Abu Ghadiya
* Abu Zubair al-Masri
* Rashid Rauf
* Mohammad Hasan Khalil al-Hakim
* Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam
* Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan
* Saad bin Laden
* Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan
* Abdullah Said al Libi
* Saleh al-Somali
* Saeed al-Masri
* Hamza al-Jawfi
* Ahmed Mohammed Hamed Ali
* Mohamed Abul-Khair
* Sheikh Fateh
* Huthaifa al-Batawi
* Ilyas Kashmiri
* Fazul Abdullah Mohammed
* Atiyah Abd al-Rahman
* Anwar al-Awlaki
* Samir Khan
* Tariq al-Dahab
* Muhammad Sa'id Ali Hasan
* Fahd al-Quso
* Abu Yahya al-Libi
* Hassan Ghul
* Abu-Zaid al Kuwaiti
* Said Ali al-Shihri
* Farman Ali Shinwari
* Abdelhamid Abou Zeid
* Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad
* Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki
* Said Bahaji
* Abu Khalid al-Suri
* Omar Ould Hamaha
* Ahmed Abdi Godane
* Abu Yusuf Al-Turki
* Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah
* Adam Yahiye Gadahn
* Harith bin Ghazi al-Nadhari
* Othman Ahmad Othman al-Ghamdi
* Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad al-Rubaysh
* Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi
* Nasir al-Wuhayshi
* Muhsin al-Fadhli
* Abu Khalil al-Madani
* Matiur Rehman
* Abu Firas al-Suri
* Ahmed Refai Taha
* Mokhtar Belmokhtar
* Abu Khayr al-Masri
* Ibrahim al-Asiri
* Hamza bin Laden
* Sari Shihab
* Asim Umar
* Qasim al-Raymi
* Abdelmalek Droukdel (killing)
* Khalid al-Aruri
* Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah
* Abu Muhsin al-Masri

|

Captured|

* Mamdouh Mahmud Salim
* Wadih el-Hage
* Khalid al-Fawwaz
* Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri
* Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
* Walid bin Attash
* Riduan Isamuddin
* Ali al-Bahlul
* Abu Faraj al-Libbi
* Mustafa Setmariam Nasar
* Abdulhadi al-Iraqi
* Muhammad Jafar Jamal al-Kahtani
* Mohamed Atiq Awayd Al Harbi
* Younis al-Mauritani
* Sulaiman Abu Ghaith
* Abu Anas al-Libi
* Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh
* Mukhtar Robow
* Amin al-Haq

Other|

* Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri (died)
* Abu Ubaidah al-Masri (died)
* Mahfouz Ould al-Walid (left)
* Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (expelled)
* Ahmed al-Sharaa (left)
* Abu Maria al-Qahtani (left)
* Ahmad Salama Mabruk (left)
* Abu Omar al-Turkistani (left)
* Abu Sulayman al-Muhajir (left)
* Khalid Batarfi (died)

Timeline
of attacks|

* 1992 Aden hotel bombings
* 1998 United States embassy bombings
* 2000 USS Cole bombing
* 2001 September 11 attacks
* 2002 Bali bombings
* 2004 Madrid train bombings
* 2005 London bombings
* 2007 Algiers bombings
* 2008 Islamabad Danish embassy bombing
* 2008 Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing
* 2008 Sanaa United States embassy attack
* 2013 In Amenas hostage crisis
* 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack
* 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting
* 2015 Garissa University College attack
* 2015 Bamako hotel attack
* 2016 Ouagadougou attacks
* 2016 Grand-Bassam shootings
* 2016 Bamako attack
* 2019 Naval Air Station Pensacola shooting

Wars|

* Soviet–Afghan War
* Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
* Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
* First Chechen War
* Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
* Second Chechen War
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Iraq War
* Somali Civil War
* War in North-West Pakistan (drone strikes)
* Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
* Syrian civil war
* Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
* Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
* Houthi insurgency

Affiliates|

* Al-Shabaab (Somalia)
* Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen)
* Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (North Africa)
* Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (Indian subcontinent)
* Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (Mali)

Charity organizations|

* Benevolence International Foundation
* Al-Haramain Foundation

Media|

* Al Qaeda Handbook
* Al Neda
* As-Sahab
* Al-Andalus Media
* Al-Kataib Media Foundation
* Radio al-Andalus
* Shahada News Agency
* Al-Malahem Media
* Inspire
* Az-Zallaqa Foundation
* Fatawā of Osama bin Laden
* Al-Khansaa
* Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit
* Management of Savagery
* Voice of Jihad
* Qaedat al-Jihad
* Umar Media
* Global Islamic Media Front
* Al-I'tisam Media Foundation

Video and audio|

* Videos and audio recordings of Osama bin Laden
* Videos and audio recordings of Ayman al-Zawahiri

Related|

* Safe houses
* Saddam–al-Qaeda conspiracy theory
* Timeline

Category:Al-Qaeda

* v
* t
* e

Afghanistan–United States relations

Diplomatic posts|

* Embassy of Afghanistan, Washington, D.C.
* Ambassadors of Afghanistan to the United States
* Embassy of the United States, Kabul
* Ambassadors of the United States to Afghanistan
* Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
* Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations
* Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

Diplomacy|

* Operation Cyclone
* Operation MIAS
* U.S.–Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement
* U.S.–Taliban deal
* Six plus Three
* Six plus Two Group on Afghanistan
* Major non-NATO ally

War in Afghanistan|

* History
* Timeline
* Opposition
* 2011–2016 withdrawal
* 2020–2021 withdrawal
* Fall of Kabul (2021)
* CIA activities
* Task Force Phoenix
* Peace process
* Reconstruction
* Afghan frozen assets

Incidents|

* Adolph Dubs
* Operation Infinite Reach
* Camp Chapman attack
* 2011 U.S. embassy attack
* Video of U.S. Marines urinating on Taliban fighters
* Quran burning protests
* Kandahar massacre
* Insurgents' bodies
* 2013 U.S. Herat consulate attack
* Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri
* Deportation of Afghan immigrants
* Afghan Guantanamo Bay detainees
* Taliban Five

Legislation|

* Access for Afghan Women Act
* ALLIES Act
* Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act

Related|

* Anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan
* Afghanistanism
* Bost Airport
* Kabul International Airport
* Herat International Airport
* Kandahar International Airport
* Kunduz Airport
* Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport
* Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History
* Overthrow

Category:Afghanistan–United States relations

* v
* t
* e

Afghanistan–Pakistan relations

Diplomatic posts|

* Embassy of Afghanistan, Islamabad
* Ambassadors of Afghanistan to Pakistan
* Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul

Diplomacy|

* Islamabad Accord
* Economic Cooperation Organization
* Trade Agreement
* Six plus Three
* Six plus Two Group on Afghanistan
* Pakistan and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan peace talks

Incidents|

* Insurgency in Balochistan
* Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
* 2017
* 2024
* Pakistan International Airlines Flight 326
* 1990 Afghan coup d'état attempt
* 1994 Peshawar school bus hijacking
* 1995 attack on the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul, Afghanistan
* 2003 attack on the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul
* 2010 attack on Pakistan ambassador to Iran
* 2014 Peshawar school massacre
* 2015 Camp Badaber attack
* February 2017 Lahore suicide bombing
* Sehwan suicide bombing
* 2021 Machh attack
* 2021 anti-Pakistan protests
* 2022 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan
* 2023 Chitral cross-border attacks

Afghan conflict|

* Soviet–Afghan War
* Afghan mujahideen
* Badaber uprising
* Geneva Accords (1988)
* Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
* Afghan Civil War (1996–2001)
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* History
* Kunduz airlift
* Taliban insurgency
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Economic relations|

* Afghanistan Oil Pipeline
* Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement
* CASA-1000
* Khyber Pass Economic Corridor
* Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline
* Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway line

Related|

* Durand line
* Border barrier
* AfPak
* Pashtunistan
* Sports rivalries
* Haqqani network
* Jinnah Hospital
* Inter-Services Intelligence activities in Afghanistan
* Pakistan and state-sponsored terrorism
* Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
* Taliban
* Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
* United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan
* United Nations Security Council Resolution 622
* United Nations Security Council Resolution 647
* Quetta Shura

Category:Afghanistan–Pakistan relations

* v
* t
* e

Pakistan–United States relations

Diplomatic
posts|

* Embassy of Pakistan, Washington, D.C.
* Ambassadors of Pakistan to the United States
* Embassy of the United States, Islamabad
* Ambassadors of the United States to Pakistan
* Consulate General of the United States, Karachi
* Consulate General of the United States, Lahore
* Consulate General of the United States, Peshawar
* Embassy of Iran, Washington, D.C.
* Interests Section of Iran in the United States
* Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

Diplomacy|

* State visit by Liaquat Ali Khan to the United States
* Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009

Incidents|

* 1960 U-2 incident
* Sino-Pakistan Agreement
* 1979 U.S. embassy burning in Islamabad
* Project Sabre II
* Pan Am Flight 73
* Death of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
* CIA headquarters shooting
* Mir Aimal Kansi
* Bojinka plot
* Aafia Siddiqui
* D.C. Five
* April 2010 U.S consulate and ANP attack
* Gary Brooks Faulkner
* United States diplomatic cables leak
* Raymond Allen Davis incident
* Killing of Osama bin Laden
* Abbottabad Commission
* Commission Report
* Memogate
* Shakil Afridi
* Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai
* 2011 NATO attack in Pakistan
* Lettergate
* Pakistani Guantanamo Bay detainees

Military
relations|

* AfPak
* CIA activities in Pakistan
* Drone strikes in Pakistan
* Damadola airstrike
* Chenagai airstrike
* Gora Prai airstrike
* Miramshah airstrike
* 2009 Makin airstrike
* Datta Khel airstrike
* Haqqani network
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* Inter-Services Intelligence activities in the United States
* Major non-NATO ally
* Operation Cyclone
* Pakistan in the war on terror
* Skirmishes
* Datta Khel incident
* Kurram incident
* Lowara Madi incident
* Tanai incident
* Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
* Task Force 74
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Kunduz airlift
* NATO logistics
* Operation Cannonball

Related|

* 1953 American Karakoram expedition
* United States aid to Pakistan
* Anti-American sentiment in Pakistan
* Bashir Ahmad
* Pakistan lobby in the United States
* Pakistan and state-sponsored terrorism
* American International School System
* International School of Islamabad
* Karachi American School
* Lahore American School
* Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History'
* The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power

Category:Pakistan–United States relations

Authority control databases

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[POW]: Prisoner of war
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