The American War in Afghanistan summary

On September 11, 2001, terrorists flew hijacked passenger planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. On October 7, the United States military launched initial airstrikes on targets in Afghanistan.

The weeks between these two events were pivotal. American intelligence quickly identified al-Qa‘eda as the perpetrators of the attack. This militant Islamic group was headed by Osama bin Laden and headquartered in Afghanistan. Using intermediates in the Pakistani military, the Bush administration demanded that the Taliban turn over bin Laden and all al-Qa‘eda operatives.

The years 2002 to 2005 were deceptively peaceful. Backed by US power, Karzai’s government oversaw the country’s post-war reconstruction by carefully balancing ethnic tensions and lending regional governors broad powers to manage their given provinces.

Yet, below the surface, tensions rose. Outside Kabul, the Taliban retained widespread popularity and continued to train fighters and receive funding from outposts in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the US military was losing support as botched military operations regularly killed civilians – for instance, in 2002, US forces bombed a wedding party, killing 54 people.

In the years following 2006, the southern theater of the Afghan War was in turmoil. The Taliban made steady inroads throughout the region and the American, Afghan, and newly-arrived NATO forces were often undersupplied and outmaneuvered.

Yet, despite these dismal conditions, the southern command was at least coherent. Battle lines were relatively distinct and the objectives for both sides were clear. In contrast, the eastern edge of the war was in complete disarray. Here, American and Afghan troops were pitted against a harsher, more mountainous environment and a diverse array of enemy forces beyond the unified front of the Taliban.

It’s January 2009 and Barack Obama has a decision to make. The newly-elected president has inherited the Afghan War from his predecessor. Now, as commander in chief, it’s his duty to chart a course forward.

The central question revolves around a plan known as the Surge. This strategy will entail committing an additional 20,000 troops to the battlegrounds of Afghanistan. Military top-brass like General David McKiernan argue that this boost in personnel, along with new techniques in counter-insurgency developed in Iraq, can change the tide of the war.

April 2012. A cadre of Taliban fighters is locked in a fierce battle in the rural Ghazni Province southwest of Kabul. For hours they exchange fire with their assailants before finally retreating into the countryside.

Oddly enough, these Taliban weren’t routed by American marines or even Afghan forces sent by the interim government. No, in this skirmish they were trounced by an Andar independent militia – and importantly, this wasn’t an isolated incident.

As 2014 rolled into 2015, Afghanistan was again at a turning point – and unfortunately, it wasn’t turning in a positive direction.

For one, the so-called unity government was actually shaky and divided. Ashraf Ghani served as president while Abdullah Abdullah worked as his chief executive officer. Both men struggled for control and everything from cabinet appointments to economic reforms were hotly contested. The rivalry kept the state in perpetual gridlock.

Donald Trump was never known for his decorum. Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, he regularly made headlines for his rants, outbursts, and off-the-cuff remarks. As president, little changed – only now his wild temperament steered the course of a foreign war.

After assuming office, Trump convened a series of meetings with Secretary of Defense James Mattis and the generals who were currently overseeing Afghanistan operations. In these high-tension gatherings, the new president raged about the current state of the war. He was mad that the US was losing control and furious that it was making him look bad.