Two decades of US military intervention in Afghanistan
Afghan security forces are unable to protect their people during the next stage.
Reuters
Withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.
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The United States, which was preparing to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan, intervened militarily in that country in 2001 at the head of an international coalition to expel Al-Qaeda from its strongholds after the bloody September 11 attacks.
eternal freedom
On October 7, 2001, less than a month after the September 11 attacks, which resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, US President George W. Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The fundamentalist "Taliban" regime, which has ruled the country since 1996, was harboring the leader of "Al-Qaeda", Osama bin Laden.
Within weeks, international forces led by the United States toppled the Taliban.
forgotten war
Attention shifted from Afghanistan in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by US forces, which in turn became a top priority for the United States.
Meanwhile, the Taliban and other Islamist groups have regrouped in their strongholds in southern and eastern Afghanistan, from which they can easily travel across the border to and from Pakistan's tribal areas.
I launched a rebellion from there.
In 2008, President Bush decided to send reinforcements to implement an effective strategy against the Taliban insurgency.
Deploying 100,000 soldiers
In late 2009, during the first months of the term of President Barack Obama, who was elected on promises to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan rose to about 68,000.
In December, Obama sent an additional 30,000 troops and confirmed that US forces would begin to withdraw after 18 months.
The goal was to stop the Taliban insurgency and strengthen Afghan institutions.
In mid-2011, there were more than 150,000 foreign soldiers in Afghanistan, including 100,000 Americans.
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was killed on the night of May 1 to 2, 2011 in a US special forces operation in Pakistan, where he was hiding.
End of combat operations
On December 31, 2014, NATO ended its combat mission in Afghanistan.
But 12,500 foreign troops remained on its soil, including 9,800 Americans, in the country to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terrorism operations.
However, the security situation recorded a clear deterioration with the expansion of the “Taliban” insurgency, and ISIS also became active in the country in early 2015.
American reinforcements
On August 21, 2017, US President Donald Trump announced a position that contradicts his previous statements by confirming that US forces will remain in Afghanistan until further notice, and sent reinforcements of thousands of soldiers.
In April 2017, the US military dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat operations, known as the "mother of all bombs", targeting ISIS sites that include a network of tunnels and caves in the east, killing 96 terrorists.
Despite the deployment of new US reinforcements in mid-November, the bloody attacks by the rebels intensified, while the United States, for its part, intensified air strikes against the rebels.
Talks in Doha
In mid-2018, Washington and representatives of the "Taliban" began secret direct talks in Doha, where the movement has an office, headed by the US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, focused on reducing the US military presence in Afghanistan.
In return, the United States asks the Taliban to prevent the country from being used as a safe haven for terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda.
The talks were suspended several times due to attacks targeting US forces.
historic agreement
On February 29, 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed a historic agreement in Doha that stipulated the complete withdrawal of foreign forces by May 2021, but in return for security guarantees and pledges from the Taliban to conduct negotiations with the Kabul government and reduce violence.
On September 12, the first peace talks between the insurgents and the Afghan government began in Doha, but violence in Afghanistan intensified and negotiations entered a dead end.
Troop withdrawal
In mid-January 2021, the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced that the number of the US military in Afghanistan would be reduced to 2,500 soldiers.
On April 14, 2021, the new US President, Joe Biden, announced that the deadline for withdrawal would be by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the September 2001 attacks.
On the 29th of the same month, NATO began a "coordinated" withdrawal of the units of the "Resolute Support" mission, in which a total of 9,600 soldiers and 36 countries participate.
On May 1, the last of the 2,500 American soldiers, along with 16,000 civilian contractors, officially began withdrawing.
Since then, several Afghan provinces have fallen into the hands of the "Taliban" movement, which raises fears of its victory over the Afghan government forces when the US withdrawal from the country is completed.
In late 2009, during the first months of the term of President Barack Obama, who was elected on promises to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan rose to about 68,000.
• Attention shifted from Afghanistan in 2003 with the US forces' invasion of Iraq, which in turn became a top priority for the United States.
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