The United States began its military campaign in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, when President George W. Bush announced airstrikes against Taliban and al Qaeda targets. The operation, named Operation Enduring Freedom, marked the start of a long‑term effort to dismantle terrorist networks and remove the Taliban from power.
2001: Coalition Build‑Up and Early Gains
Within the first week, the Pentagon reported the first ground search of a compound used by Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. By late October, Britain committed 4,200 troops, and Turkey, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland announced their own deployments. On November 13, combined U.S. airstrikes and attacks by the anti‑Taliban Northern Alliance led to the fall of Kabul.
2002‑2004: Establishing Afghan Governance
December 2001 saw the United Nations authorize the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), with the United Kingdom initially leading the mission. Hamid Karzai was sworn in as head of an interim power‑sharing government on December 22, 2001. The Bonn Conference later that month produced the Bonn Agreement, outlining a roadmap for a new Afghan constitution and government.
In 2002, the United States announced plans to train an Afghan national army. Karzai was elected to a two‑year presidential term by a grand council of tribal leaders in June 2002. NATO assumed responsibility for ISAF in August 2003, and Afghanistan adopted a new constitution by consensus in early 2004. The country held its first direct presidential election on October 9, 2004, with Karzai sworn in as the first democratically elected president on December 7, 2004.
2005‑2009: Elections, Violence, and Troop Increases
Parliamentary and provincial elections took place in September 2005, the first in more than three decades. President Bush visited Afghanistan in March 2006 and again in December 2008, underscoring U.S. commitment. In February 2007, Bush called on NATO to increase troop levels, noting roughly 50,000 U.S. and NATO personnel were already deployed.
President Obama approved a 17,000‑troop increase in February 2009, bringing U.S. forces to about 38,000. By December 2009, Obama announced an additional 30,000 troops for 2010, raising the U.S. total to nearly 100,000 alongside 40,000 NATO troops.
2010‑2011: Drawdown Begins
The Netherlands became the first NATO member to withdraw combat troops in August 2010. In May 2011, U.S. forces conducted the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden. President Obama later announced that the 33,000 additional troops deployed in December 2009 would return home within 15 months and that combat operations would end by 2014.
The first wave of U.S. troops began leaving Afghanistan in July 2011, with about 650 soldiers departing the Parwan province. August 2011 proved the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the conflict began, with 71 casualties, including a helicopter shoot‑down that killed 30 coalition members.
Legacy
Over a decade of engagement, the United States and its allies worked to dismantle terrorist safe havens, support a fledgling Afghan government, and train local security forces. The timeline above captures the major milestones of that effort, reflecting both the sacrifices made and the strategic objectives pursued.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
