Following the September 11th attacks on the United States, Osama Bin Laden was found to be the man responsible for the attacks. The United States gave the Taliban, who at the time had control over Afghanistan an ultimatum to either surrender Bin Laden to the United States or for the United States to invade Afghanistan. After the Taliban refused to give up Bin Laden, less than a month after the attacks on September 11th, on October 7th 2001, the United States and Great Britain began bombing Afghanistan. After weeks of regular airstrikes, the Taliban abandoned their headquarters in Kabul, and moved to a stronghold in Kandahar Falls. After the United States began to close in on the compound, Bin Laden fleed the country. After Bin Laden's escape, the United States refocused on maintaining peace in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. By 2003 the number of troops in the United States has grown to over 10,000. NATO forces have also been deployed to Afghanistan. By 2004 over 20,000 American and NATO troops are in Afghanistan and the forces expand to other areas of Afghanistan. By 2008 extremist attacks in Afghanistan are at an all time high, and the United States has deployed over 30,000 troops, as the war in Afghanistan continues to wage on.
Afghan Invasion Political Cartoons |
President Bush Addresses Afghan Invasion |
HOW THE US Invasion of Afghanistan CONTRIBUTED TO THE WAR ON TERROR
The United States invasion of Afghanistan was the first time that the United States had occupied a Middle Eastern country during the war on terror. While some Afghans welcomed the presence of the United States, others such as the Taliban opposed the United States even more because of it. Many feared that the invasion would fuel groups like al-Qaeda to attack the United States again like they did on September 11th. The invasion also showed how committed the United States was to ending terror around the world.