Explained: What Happened During 20 Years Of US Invasion Of Afghanistan That Began On This Day

On August 30, the last US soldiers left Afghanistan ending almost 20 years of US war in Afghanistan. This was almost 15 days after the Taliban returned to Kabul and at the helm of power after two decades.

It was on the 7th of October 2001, that the United States officially launched attacks in Afghanistan against the Taliban and Al Qaida following the 9/11 attacks on the world trade centre and entered into a war in the region that lasted for almost two decades.

What led to the invasion?

Following the deadly attacks on the World Trade Centre's twin towers, the US demanded the Taliban, then ruling Afghanistan to hand over perpetrators of the attack, particularly the Al Qaeda Chief Osama bin Laden.

The Taliban leadership refused to hand over Bin Laden without any evidence against him. While the US termed it as a tactic to deviate from the issue, many efforts were being made by the Taliban to resolve the issue and try to persuade the US from intervening in Afghanistan.

Mullah Zaeef, former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan in an interview said that many offers were made to the US in order to resolve the issue, but nothing substantial came out of it.

AFP

President Bush declared war

On September 18 2001, then US president George Bush signed the Authorisation of Military Force after it was passed by the US Congress. The bill authorised the US president to use military action without any legislative approval.

The law became a legal basis for US intervention in Afghanistan. The US on 26 September started its operations covertly in Afghanistan. Many CIA agents were sent into Afghanistan.

These agents worked with the armed groups opposing the Taliban especially Northern Alliance which had its base in Panjshir Valley. Soon, the British also deployed its M16 agents inside Afghanistan.

These officers organized different armed groups and led many new groups to enter the fighting against the Taliban. It was these groups that led the future ground offensive against the Taliban while being supported by foreign forces.

Invasion began on October 7, 2001

Finally, on 7th October, the US along with Britain officially launched a military operation inside Afghanistan with airstrikes conducted in many regions against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

No military soldier was deployed at this moment. The Northern Alliance along with other armed groups and warlords started the offensive on the ground supported by the airstrikes.

Apart from Northern Alliance, groups led by Tajik leader Muhammad Fahim, Uzbek commander Rashid Dostum, non-Taliban Pashtuns like Hamid Karzai were fighting against the Taliban on the ground.

The Taliban couldn't hold on for long and soon they were retreating from all sides. The Afghan groups soon with the help of US assistance swept across Afghanistan.on November 9, the important city of Mazar e Sharif was taken from the Taliban by the forces loyal to Rashid Dostum.

On November 13 the Northern Alliance forces entered Kabul after the Taliban left from there without much fight. soon after almost all the major provinces fell. The local warlords and tribal leaders took control of the provinces.

Taliban regime fell in many provinces

On December 6 Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban fell after it was besieged by Forces led by Hamid Karzai on one side and Gul Agha Sherzai on the other side. Both the groups were heavily assisted by the US. The Taliban rule in Afghanistan ended almost six years after they had taken over the country in1996.

The Taliban members, especially the leadership dispersed into the rural areas or fled to the tribal regions of Pakistan. The fighting continued in different regions of the country.

In November almost 1000 American soldiers were deployed in Afghanistan and these rose to almost 10000 by the end of the year. Soon many other NATO member countries send their forces into Afghanistan and take part in the operations in Afghanistan.

AFP

An interim government

On 5 December, a conference was held in Bonn, Germany to decide on an interim government. Hamid Karzai was chosen as the head of this interim government. Post this interim government US-led foreign forces continued their operations in Afghanistan along with taking the responsibility of security of Kabul and surrounding areas.

Following a ¡®Loya jirga¡¯, Afghan Grand Assembly mainly consisting of tribal leaders appointed Karzai as Interim President on 13 June 2003. In April 2002, Bush announced plans for the reconstruction of Afghanistan and shortly afterwards US Congress approved $3.6 billion humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for Afghanistan.

Ultimately on May 1 2003, Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld declared an end to ¡®major combats¡¯ signifying the end of major fighting in Afghanistan. It was in August 2003 that NATO assumed control in Afghanistan.

Initially just tasked with the security of Kabul and adjacent areas it expanded its operations in 2006. In January 2004, an assembly of 502 Afghan members adopted a constitution with a presidential system and on October 9 2004, Afghanistan voted for the first time, electing Hamid Karzai as the first-ever elected President of Afghanistan.

With so many drastic and significant changes in such a short span of time, many at the time viewed the Afghan future with great optimism. But how things turned out to be is known to all today. Many with extreme curiosity try to understand where things went wrong.

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