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War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)


Part of the Global War on Terrorism, and
the continuous Afghanistan conflict

Clockwise from top-left: British Royal Marines during a clearance in Helmand


Province; U.S. soldiers in a firefight with Taliban forces in Kunar Province; An
Afghan National Army soldier surveying atop a Humvee; Afghan and U.S. soldiers
move through snow in Logar Province; Canadian forces fire an M777 howitzer in
Helmand Province; An Afghan soldier surveying a valley in Parwan Province;
British troops preparing to board a Chinook during Operation Tor Shezada.
(For a map of the current military situation in Afghanistan, see here.)

Date 7 October 2001 – present


(19 years, 10 months and 5 days)

First phase: 7 October 2001 – 28 December 2014


Second phase: 1 January 2015 – present
Location Afghanistan
Result Ongoing
Overthrow of the Taliban governed Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan on 17 December 2001
Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan
2004 Afghan presidential election
Coalition failure to quell Taliban insurgency since 2006[27][28][29]
Doha Agreement (2020)
Withdrawal of U.S forces from Afghanistan
Belligerents
Invasion (2001): Invasion (2001):
Northern Alliance Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
United States al-Qaeda
United Kingdom 055 Brigade[3][4]
Canada IMU[5]
Australia TNSM[6]
Italy ETIM[7]
New Zealand[1]
Germany[2]
ISAF/RS phase (from
2001): ISAF/RS phase (from RS phase (from
Islamic Republic of 2001): 2015):
Taliban ISIL–KP[25]
Afghanistan
ISAF
Islamic Jihad Union[9] IMU[26]
(2001–2015)
Haqqani network[10]
United States
(from 2002)
United Kingdom
al-Qaeda
Canada (al-Qaeda in the Indian
Australia Subcontinent (AQIS))[11]
Italy
Taliban splinter
Germany
groups
Georgia
Fidai Mahaz (from
Jordan
2013)
Turkey
Mullah Dadullah
Bulgaria
Front (from 2012)[12]
Poland
IEHCA loyal to
Romania Muhammad Rasul
Spain (from 2015)[13][14]
Czech Republic
Supported by:
North Macedonia
Hezb-e-Islami
Denmark
Gulbuddin
Armenia (until 2016)
Azerbaijan Islamic Jihad
Finland Union[15]
France (from 2002)

Croatia Islamic Movement


of Uzbekistan (until
Hungary
2015)
Norway
Turkistan Islamic
Lithuania
Party
Mongolia
UAE Lashkar-e-
Belgium Jhangvi[16]

Portugal Pakistani Taliban[17]

Slovakia Lashkar-e-Islam

Netherlands Iran
(allegedly)[18][19]
Montenegro
Russia
Latvia
(allegedly)[20]
Sweden
Pakistan
Albania
(allegedly)[21][22]
Ukraine
Saudi Arabia
Bosnia and (allegedly)[23]
Herzegovina
China (allegedly)[24]
Greece
Ireland
Iceland
Estonia
Malaysia
Slovenia
Austria
Switzerland
Bahrain
El Salvador
Luxembourg
New Zealand
South Korea
Tonga
Singapore
Resolute Support
(from 2015)[8]
Commanders and leaders
Ashraf Ghani Mohammed Omar # Shahab al-Muhajir
Joe Biden Akhtar Mansoor † [33]

Boris Johnson A. G. Hafiz Saeed Khan †


Scott Morrison Baradar (POW) [30] Mawlavi Habib Ur
Mario Draghi Hibatullah Rahman[34]
Angela Merkel Akhundzada[10] Abdul Haseeb
Austin S. Miller Jalaluddin Haqqani Logari †
John F. Campbell #[31] Abdul Rahman
Former Obaidullah Ghaleb †
Akhund † [30] Abu Saad Erhabi †
Hamid Karzai
Gerhard Schröder Dadullah Abdullah Orokzai
Akhund † [30] (POW)
Silvio Berlusconi
Romano Prodi Gulbuddin Qari Hekmat †
Mario Monti Hekmatyar Mufti Nemat
Enrico Letta Osama bin Laden † Dawood Ahmad
Matteo Renzi Ayman al-Zawahiri Sofi †
Paolo Gentiloni Asim Umar † Mohamed Zahran †
Giuseppe Conte Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi †
Tony Blair Muhammad
Gordon Brown Rasul (POW)[14]
David Cameron Haji Najibullah[32]
Theresa May
George W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Jean Chrétien
Paul Martin
Stephen Harper
John Howard
Kevin Rudd
Julia Gillard
Tony Abbott
Malcolm Turnbull
List of former ISAF
Commanders

Strength
ISIL–KP: 3,500–
Afghan National Taliban: 60,000 4,000 (2018, in
Security Forces: (tentative estimate)[38] Afghanistan)[46]
352,000[35]
Resolute Support Haqqani network:
Mission: ~17,000 [36] 4,000–
15,000[39][40][41]
Military Contractors:
20,000+[37] HIG: 1,500–
2,000+[42]
al-Qaeda:
~300[43][44][45] (~
3,000 in 2001) [43]

IEHCA: 3,000–
3,500[14]
Fidai Mahaz:
8,000[32]
Casualties and losses
ISIL–KP: 2,400+ killed[25]
Afghan security forces: Taliban: 51,000+
65,596+ killed [47][48] killed (no official
Northern Alliance: numbers, incomplete
200 killed[49][50][51][52][53] according to Brown,
can be higher)[47]
Coalition:
Dead: 3,562
al-Qaeda: 2,000+
United States: 2,420 killed[43]
United Kingdom: 456[54]
Canada: 159
France: 89
Germany: 57
Italy: 53
Others: 321

Wounded: 22,773

United States: 19,950[55]


United Kingdom: 2,188[56]
Canada: 635[57]

Contractors
Dead: 3,937[58][59]
Wounded:
15,000+[58][59]

Total killed: 73,295+

Civilians killed: 47,245[47]

Total killed: 212,191+ (per UCDP)[60]

aThe continued list includes nations who have contributed fewer than
200 troops as of November 2014.[61]
bThe continued list includes nations who have contributed fewer than 200 troops
as of May 2017.[62]

The War in Afghanistan is an ongoing war following the United States invasion of Afghanistan[63] when the
United States and its allies successfully drove the Taliban from power in order to deny al-Qaeda a safe base of
operations in Afghanistan.[64][65] After the initial objectives were completed, a coalition of over 40 countries
(including all NATO members) formed a security mission in the country called International Security
Assistance Force (ISAF, succeeded by the Resolute Support Mission (RS) in 2014) of which certain members
were involved in military combat allied with Afghanistan's government.[66] The war has mostly consisted of
Taliban insurgents[67] fighting against the Afghan Armed Forces and allied forces; the majority of ISAF/RS
soldiers and personnel are American.[66] The war is code-named by the U.S. as Operation Enduring Freedom
(2001–14) and Operation Freedom's Sentinel (2015–present).[68][69]
Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban, then-de facto ruler
of Afghanistan, hand over Osama bin Laden.[70] The Taliban's refusal to extradite him[71] led to Operation
Enduring Freedom;[72] the Taliban and their Al-Qaeda allies were mostly defeated in the country by US-led
forces, and the Northern Alliance which had been fighting the Taliban since 1996. At the Bonn Conference,
new Afghan interim authorities (mostly from the Northern Alliance) elected Hamid Karzai to head the Afghan
Interim Administration. The United Nations Security Council established the ISAF to assist the new authority
with securing Kabul. A nationwide rebuilding effort was also made following the end of the Taliban
regime.[73][74][75] Following defeat in the initial invasion, the Taliban was reorganized by Mullah Omar and
launched an insurgency against the Afghan government in 2003.[76][77] Insurgents from the Taliban and other
groups waged asymmetric warfare with guerrilla raids and ambushes in the countryside, suicide attacks against
urban targets, and turncoat killings against coalition forces. The Taliban exploited weaknesses in the Afghan
government to reassert influence across rural areas of southern and eastern Afghanistan. From 2006 the
Taliban made further gains and showed an increased willingness to commit atrocities against civilians – ISAF
responded by increasing troops for counter-insurgency operations to "clear and hold" villages.[78][79] Violence
escalated from 2007 to 2009.[80] Troop numbers began to surge in 2009 and continued to increase through
2011 when roughly 140,000 foreign troops operated under ISAF and U.S. command in Afghanistan.[81]
NATO leaders in 2012 commenced an exit strategy for withdrawing their forces[82] and later the United States
announced that its major combat operations would end in December 2014, leaving a residual force in the
country.[83] On 28 December 2014, NATO formally ended ISAF combat operations in Afghanistan and
officially transferred full security responsibility to the Afghan government. The NATO-led Operation Resolute
Support was formed the same day as a successor to ISAF.[84][85] On 29 February 2020, the United States and
the Taliban signed a conditional peace deal in Doha[86] which required that U.S. troops withdraw from
Afghanistan within 14 months so long as the Taliban cooperated with the terms of the agreement.[87]
Additionally, insurgents belonging to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and ISIL-K continue to operate in
parts of the country.[88]

According to the Costs of War project at Brown University, as of April 2021, the war has killed 171,000 to
174,000 people in Afghanistan; 47,245 Afghan civilians, 66,000 to 69,000 Afghan military and police and at
least 51,000 opposition fighters. However, the death toll is possibly higher due to unaccounted deaths by
"disease, loss of access to food, water, infrastructure, and/or other indirect consequences of the war."[89]
According to the U.N, since the 2001 Invasion, more than 5.7 million former refugees have returned to
Afghanistan,[90] however, as of 2021, 2.6 million Afghans remain refugees or have fled,[91] mostly in Pakistan
and Iran, and another 4 million Afghans remain internally displaced persons within the country. Since 2001,
Afghanistan has experienced improvements in health, education and women's rights.[92][93]

Contents
Before the start of war
Origins of Afghanistan's civil war
Warlord rule (1992–1996)
Taliban Emirate vs Northern Alliance
September 11 attacks
U.S. ultimatum to the Taliban
History
Summary
2018
2019
2020
2021
Impact on Afghan society
Civilian casualties
Healthcare
Refugees
Interpreters
Drug trade
Public education
War crimes
Taliban
Northern Alliance
NATO and allies
Costs
Criticism of costs
Stability problems
Afghan security forces
Afghan National Army
Afghan National Police
Tactics/strategy of anti-government elements
Insider attacks
Reactions
Domestic reactions
International reactions
Public opinion in 2001
Development of public opinion
Protests, demonstrations and rallies
See also
References
Sources
Further reading
External links

Before the start of war

Origins of Afghanistan's civil war

Afghanistan's political order began to break down in the 1970s. First, Mohammed Daoud Khan seized power
in the 1973 Afghan coup d'état. Daoud Khan was then killed in the 1978 Saur Revolution, a coup in which
the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) took control of the government.[94] PDPA pushed for a
socialist transformation by abolishing arranged marriages, promoting mass literacy and reforming land
ownership. This undermined the traditional tribal order and provoked opposition across rural areas. PDPA's
crackdown was met with open rebellion including the 1979 Herat uprising. PDPA was beset by internal
leadership differences and was affected by an internal coup on 11 September 1979 when Hafizullah Amin
ousted Nur Muhammad Taraki. The Soviet Union, sensing PDPA
weakness, intervened militarily three months later, to depose Amin
and install another PDPA faction led by Babrak Karmal.

The entry of Soviet forces in Afghanistan in December 1979


prompted its Cold War rivals, the United States, Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia and China to support rebels fighting against the Soviet-backed
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. In contrast to the secular and
socialist government, which controlled the cities, religiously motivated
President Reagan meeting with mujahideen held sway in the majority of the countryside. The CIA
Afghan Mujahideen leaders in the worked with Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence to funnel foreign
Oval Office in 1983 support for the mujahideen. The war also attracted Arab volunteers
known as "Afghan Arabs", including Osama bin Laden.

After the withdrawal of the Soviet military from Afghanistan in May


1989, the PDPA regime under Mohammad Najibullah held on until
1992 when the dissolution of the Soviet Union deprived the regime of
aid and the defection of Uzbek general Abdul Rashid Dostum cleared
the approach to Kabul. With the political stage cleared of socialists,
the warlords, some of them Islamist, vied for power.

Soviet troops in 1986, during the


Warlord rule (1992–1996)
Soviet–Afghan War
In 1992, the mujahideen commander Burhanuddin Rabbani officially
became president of the Islamic State of Afghanistan but he had to
battle other warlords for control of Kabul. In late 1994, Rabbani's defense minister, Ahmad Shah Massoud,
defeated Hekmatyar in Kabul and ended the ongoing bombardment of the capital.[95][96][97] Massoud tried to
initiate a nationwide political process with the goal of national consolidation. Other warlords including Ismail
Khan in the west and Dostum in the north maintained their fiefdoms.

In 1994, Mohammed Omar, a mujahideen member who taught at a Pakistani madrassa, returned to Kandahar
and formed the Taliban movement. His followers were religious students known as the Talib and they sought
to end warlordism through stricter adherence to Sharia. By November 1994, the Taliban had captured all of
Kandahar Province. They declined the government's offer to join in a coalition government and marched on
Kabul in 1995.[98]

Taliban Emirate vs Northern Alliance

The Taliban's early victories in 1994 were followed by a series of costly defeats.[99] Pakistan "provided strong
support" to the Taliban.[100][101] Analysts such as Amin Saikal described the group as developing into a proxy
force for Pakistan's regional interests which the Taliban denied.[100] The Taliban started shelling Kabul in
early 1995, but were driven back by Massoud.[96][102]

On 27 September 1996, the Taliban, with military support by Pakistan and financial support from Saudi
Arabia, seized Kabul and founded the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[103] They imposed their fundamentalist
interpretation of Islam in areas under their control, issuing edicts forbidding women to work outside the home,
attend school or to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.[104] According to the Pakistani
expert Ahmed Rashid, "between 1994 and 1999, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Pakistanis trained and fought
in Afghanistan" on the side of the Taliban.[105][106]
Massoud and Dostum, former arch-enemies, created a United Front
against the Taliban, the Northern Alliance.[107] In addition to
Massoud's Tajik force and Dostum's Uzbeks, the United Front
included Hazara factions and Pashtun forces under the leadership of
commanders such as Abdul Haq and Haji Abdul Qadir. Abdul Haq
also gathered a number of defecting Pashtun Taliban.[108] Both
agreed to work together with the exiled Afghan king Zahir Shah.[106]
The Northern Alliance received varying degrees of support from
Russia, Iran, Tajikistan and India. The Taliban captured Mazar-i-
Afghan guerilla leader Ahmad Shah
Sharif in 1998 and drove Dostum into exile.
Massoud (right) with the Pashtun
anti-Taliban leader and later Vice According to the United Nations (UN), the Taliban, while trying to
President of the Karzai
consolidate control over northern and western Afghanistan,
administration, Haji Abdul Qadir
committed systematic massacres against civilians. UN officials stated
that there had been "15 massacres" between 1996 and 2001. The
Taliban especially targeted the Shia Hazaras.[109][110] In retaliation
for the execution of 3,000 Taliban prisoners by Uzbek general Abdul Malik Pahlawan in 1997, the Taliban
executed about 4,000 civilians after taking Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998.[111][112]

Bin Laden's 055 Brigade was responsible for mass killings of Afghan civilians.[113] The report by the United
Nations quotes eyewitnesses in some villages describing "Arab fighters carrying long knives used for slitting
throats and skinning people".[109][110]

By 2001, the Taliban controlled as much as 90% of Afghanistan with the Northern Alliance confined to the
country's northeast corner. Fighting alongside Taliban forces were some 28,000–30,000 Pakistanis (usually
also Pashtun) and 2,000–3,000 Al-Qaeda militants.[98][113][114][115] Many of the Pakistanis were recruited
from madrassas.[113] A 1998 document by the U.S. State Department confirmed that "20–40 percent of
[regular] Taliban soldiers are Pakistani." The document said that a number of the parents of those Pakistani
nationals "know nothing regarding their child's military involvement with the Taliban until their bodies are
brought back to Pakistan". According to the U.S. State Department report and reports by Human Rights
Watch, other Pakistani nationals fighting in Afghanistan were regular soldiers especially from the Frontier
Corps but also from the Pakistani Army providing direct combat support.[101][116]

Al-Qaeda

In August 1996, Bin Laden was forced to leave Sudan and arrived in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He had founded
his international Al-Qaeda network in the late 1980s to support the Mujahideen's war against the Soviets but
became disillusioned by infighting among warlords. He grew close to Mullah Omar and moved Al-Qaeda's
operations to eastern Afghanistan, a safe haven as he was under the protection of the Taliban there.

The 9/11 Commission in the U.S. found that under the Taliban, al-Qaeda was able to use Afghanistan as a
place to train and indoctrinate fighters, import weapons, coordinate with other jihadists, and plot terrorist
actions.[117] While al-Qaeda maintained its own camps in Afghanistan, it also supported training camps of
other organizations. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 men passed through these facilities before 9/11, most of
whom were sent to fight for the Taliban against the United Front. A smaller number were inducted into al-
Qaeda.[118]

After the August 1998 United States embassy bombings were linked to bin Laden, President Bill Clinton
ordered missile strikes on militant training camps in Afghanistan. U.S. officials pressed the Taliban to
surrender bin Laden. In 1999, the international community imposed sanctions on the Taliban, calling for bin
Laden to be surrendered. The Taliban repeatedly rebuffed these demands.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Special Activities Division paramilitary teams were active in Afghanistan
in the 1990s in clandestine operations to locate and kill or capture Osama bin Laden. These teams planned
several operations but did not receive the order to proceed from President Clinton. Their efforts built
relationships with Afghan leaders that proved essential in the 2001 invasion.[119]

Change in U.S. policy toward Afghanistan

During the Clinton administration, the U.S. tended to favor Pakistan and until 1998–1999 had no clear policy
toward Afghanistan. In 1997, for example, the U.S. State Department's Robin Raphel told Massoud to
surrender to the Taliban. Massoud responded that, as long as he controlled an area the size of his hat, he would
continue to defend it from the Taliban.[98] Around the same time, top foreign policy officials in the Clinton
administration flew to northern Afghanistan to try to persuade the United Front not to take advantage of a
chance to make crucial gains against the Taliban. They insisted it was the time for a cease-fire and an arms
embargo. At the time, Pakistan began a "Berlin-like airlift to resupply and re-equip the Taliban", financed with
Saudi money.[120]

U.S. policy toward Afghanistan changed after the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. Subsequently, Osama bin
Laden was indicted for his involvement in the embassy bombings. In 1999 both the U.S. and the United
Nations enacted sanctions against the Taliban via United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267, which
demanded the Taliban surrender Osama bin Laden for trial in the U.S. and close all terrorist bases in
Afghanistan.[121] The only collaboration between Massoud and the U.S. at the time was an effort with the
CIA to trace bin Laden following the 1998 bombings.[122] The U.S. and the European Union provided no
support to Massoud for the fight against the Taliban.

By 2001 the change of policy sought by CIA officers who knew Massoud was underway.[123] CIA lawyers,
working with officers in the Near East Division and Counter-terrorist Center, began to draft a formal finding
for President George W. Bush's signature, authorizing a covert action program in Afghanistan. It would be the
first in a decade to seek to influence the course of the Afghan war in favor of Massoud.[103] Richard A.
Clarke, chair of the Counter-Terrorism Security Group under the Clinton administration, and later an official in
the Bush Administration, allegedly presented a plan to incoming Bush National Security Adviser Condoleezza
Rice in January 2001.

A change in U.S. policy was effected in August 2001.[103] The Bush administration agreed on a plan to start
supporting Massoud. A meeting of top national security officials agreed that the Taliban would be presented
with an ultimatum to hand over bin Laden and other al-Qaeda operatives. If the Taliban refused, the U.S.
would provide covert military aid to anti-Taliban groups. If both those options failed, "the deputies agreed that
the United States would seek to overthrow the Taliban regime through more direct action."[124]

Massoud's assassination on the eve of 9/11

Ahmad Shah Massoud was the only leader of the United Front (Northern Alliance) in Afghanistan in 2001. In
the areas under his control, Massoud set up democratic institutions and signed the Women's Rights
Declaration.[125] As a consequence, a number of civilians had fled to areas under his control.[126][127] In total,
estimates range up to one million people fleeing the Taliban.[128]

In late 2000, Massoud invited some other Afghan tribal leaders to a jirga in northern Afghanistan "to settle
political turmoil in Afghanistan".[129] Among those in attendance were Pashtun nationalists, Abdul Haq and
Hamid Karzai.[130][131]
In early 2001, Massoud and several other Afghan leaders addressed the European Parliament in Brussels,
asking the international community to provide humanitarian help. The Afghan envoy asserted that the Taliban
and al-Qaeda had introduced "a very wrong perception of Islam" and that without the support of Pakistan and
Osama bin Laden, the Taliban would not be able to sustain their military campaign for another year. Massoud
warned that his intelligence had gathered information about an imminent, large-scale attack on U.S. soil.[132]

On 9 September 2001, two French-speaking Algerians posing as journalists killed Massoud in a suicide attack
in Takhar Province of Afghanistan. The two perpetrators were later alleged to be members of al-Qaeda. They
were interviewing Massoud before detonating a bomb hidden in their video camera.[133][134] Both of the
alleged al-Qaeda men were subsequently killed by Massoud's guards. Massoud lost his life en route in a
helicopter to a hospital across the border in Tajikistan.[135] His funeral in his native Panjshir Valley was
attended by thousands.[136]

September 11 attacks

On the morning of September 11, 2001, a total of 19 Arab men—15


of whom were from Saudi Arabia—carried out four coordinated
attacks in the United States. Four commercial passenger jet airliners
were hijacked.[137][138] The hijackers – members of al-Qaeda's
Hamburg cell[139] – intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the
Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing
everyone on board and more than 2,000 people in the buildings. Both
buildings collapsed within two hours from damage related to the
crashes, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The
Ground Zero in New York following
hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, the attacks of 11 September 2001
Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into
a field near Shanksville, in rural Pennsylvania, after some of its
passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward
Washington, D.C., to target the White House, or the U.S. Capitol. No one aboard the flights survived.
According to the New York State Health Department, the death toll among responders including firefighters
and police was 836 as of June 2009.[140] Total deaths were 2,996, including the 19 hijackers.[140]

U.S. ultimatum to the Taliban

The Taliban publicly condemned the September 11 attacks.[141] U.S. President George W. Bush issued an
ultimatum to the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden, "close immediately every terrorist training camp,
hand over every terrorist and their supporters, and give the United States full access to terrorist training camps
for inspection."[141] The Taliban refused, stating that Osama bin Laden was protected by the traditional
Pashtun laws of hospitality.[142][143][144][145]

After the U.S. invasion, the Taliban refused to hand over Bin Laden to the US, instead expressing willingness
to hand him over to a third country that would "never come under the pressure of the United States" if further
evidence of guilt were produced. The United States responded by continuing their bombardment of Kabul
airport and other cities. For their part, Al Qaeda threatened further attacks against the UK and United
States.[146][147] Haji Abdul Kabir, the third most powerful figure in the ruling Taliban regime, told reporters:
"If the Taliban is given evidence that Osama bin Laden is involved, we would be ready to hand him over to a
third country."[147]

History
Summary

Year(s) Main event(s)


2001 United States invasion of Afghanistan
2002 Post-Anaconda operations
2003–
Taliban resurgence, war with Afghan forces
2005
2006 War between NATO forces and Taliban
2007 US build-up, ISAF war against Taliban
Reassessment and renewed commitment and Taliban attacks Leading nations of the ISAF
2008
on supply lines
reconstruction teams and regional
2008– commands under NATO command
US action into Pakistan
2009 (not under U.S. command), as of
2009 US reinforcements, Taliban progress 2006

2010 American–British offensive and Afghan peace initiative


2011 US and NATO drawdown
2012 Strategic agreement
2013 Withdrawal
2014 2014: Withdrawal continues and the insurgency increases
2015 Taliban resurgence
2015–
Taliban negotiations and Taliban infighting
2016
2015– A Slovenian ISAF Humvee in
Taliban offensive in Helmand Province
2018 Afghanistan
Peace deal with Hezb-i Islami, Withdrawal of U.S. troops from
2016
Afghanistan (2011–2016)
2017 Events and Donald Trump's Afghan policy
Kabul ambulance bombing, battles of Farah and Darzab,
2018
Ghazni offensive
Maidan Shar attack, Kabul wedding bombing, Haska Meyna
2019
mosque bombing
2020 Attacks on Kabul's gurdwara and university
Withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan (2021)
2021
and 2021 Taliban offensive
Map detailing the spread of the
Taliban-insurgency in Afghanistan
2018 2002–2006

In January, the BBC reported that the Taliban are openly active in
70% of the country (being in full control of 14 districts and have an active and open physical presence in a
further 263) and that Islamic State is more active in the country than ever before. Following attacks by the
Taliban (including a suicide ambulance bombing in Kabul on 27 January that killed over 100 people) and
Islamic State that killed scores of civilians, President Trump and Afghan officials decided to rule out any talks
with the Taliban.[148]
On 15 February, The New York Times reported the rise of Afghan
civilians being intentionally targeted by the Taliban, based on an
annual United Nations report released a week earlier. This report
offered a detailed assessment of the 16-year Afghan war, showing the
rise of complex bombing attacks deliberately targeting civilians in
2017, having 10,453 Afghan civilians wounded or killed.[149] As the
US and Afghan government are publishing fewer statistics, the U.N.
report is one of the most reliable indicators about the war's impact by
2018. The report emphasizes the rise of "complex attacks", a type of
U.S. Army soldiers boarding a Black
suicide assault that is becoming more deadly, described by the New Hawk, 2012
York Times as the hallmark of the war in 2018. These attacks are
referred to as the Taliban's ferocious response to US President
Trump's new strategy of war (an increased pace of aerial
bombardments targeting Taliban and Islamic State Militants), giving
the message that the Taliban can strike at will, even in the capital city,
Kabul. The U.N. report included a statement showing the Taliban's
position, the Taliban blamed the U.S and its allies for fighting the war
in Afghanistan, and it denied targeting civilians. The New York Times
quoted Atiqullah Amarkhel, a retired general and military analyst
based in Kabul, saying that the UN report proved the failure of peace
talks, as the Taliban and the US government are both determined for
USAF pilots fly a CH-47 Chinook
victory rather than negotiating a settlement. He said "More airstrikes near Jalalabad, April 2017
mean more suicide attacks," proving the intensification of the war by
2018.[150]

From 12 July - 1 August, the Taliban carried out the Darzab offensive
and captured Darzab District following the surrender of ISIL-K to the
Afghan Government.

From 10 - 15 August, the Taliban launched a series of offensives, the


largest being the Ghazni offensive. During the Ghazni offensive, the
Taliban seized Ghazni, Afghanistan's sixth-largest city, for several
days, but eventually retreated. The Taliban killed hundreds of Afghan Curtis Scaparrotti, the Supreme
soldiers and police and captured several government bases and Allied Commander Europe, and Kay
districts. Bailey Hutchison with Brig. Gen.
Wolf-Jürgen Stahl in Afghanistan in
Following the offensives Erik Prince, the private military contractor February 2018
and former head of Blackwater, advocated additional privatization of
the war.[151][152] However, the then-US Defense Secretary James
Mattis rebuked the idea, saying, “When Americans put their nation's credibility on the line, privatizing it is
probably not a wise idea.”[153]

In September, the United Nations raised concerns over the increasing number of civilian casualties due to air
strikes in Afghanistan. The US air force dropped around 3,000 bombs in the first six months of the year, to
force Taliban militants for peace talks. In a statement issued by the UNAMA, it reminded all the parties
involved in the conflict "to uphold their obligations to protect civilians from harm.”[154]

On 17 October, days before parliamentary election, Abdul Jabar Qahraman, an election candidate was killed in
an attack by the Taliban. The Taliban issued a statement, warning teachers and students to not participate in the
upcoming elections or use schools as polling centers.[155]
On 17 December, US diplomats held talks with the Taliban, at the United Arab Emirates on possibly ending
the war. The Taliban gave conditions of a pullout date for US-led troops before any talks with the Kabul
government and has demanded that Washington not oppose the establishment of an Islamist government.
However, the US officials have insisted on keeping some troops and at least a couple of bases in the country.
The meeting was described by US officials as “part of efforts by the United States and other international
partners to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at ending the conflict in Afghanistan.”[156]

2019

On 21 January 2019, the Taliban killed about 100 people at a


National Directorate of Security base in Maidan Shar, Maidan
Wardak Province. On 25 January 2019, Afghanistan's president
Ashraf Ghani said that more than 45,000 members of the Afghan
security forces had been killed since he became president in
2014. He also said that there had been fewer than 72
international casualties during the same period.[157] A January
2019 report by the US government estimated that 53.8% of Ongoing armed conflicts in June 2019.
Afghanistan's districts were controlled or influenced by the
government, with 33.9% contested and 12.3% under insurgent Major wars, 10,000 or more deaths in
control or influence.[158] current or past year

On 4 February 2019, the Taliban attacked a checkpoint in


northern Baghlan province. 21 people, including 11 policemen were killed. The same day, another attack took
place in northern Samangan province that killed 10 people.[159]

On 25 February 2019, peace talks began between the Taliban and the United States in Qatar, with the Taliban
co-founder Abdul Ghani Barada notably present. US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad reported that this round
of negotiations was "more productive than they have been in the past" and that a draft version of a peace
agreement had been agreed upon. The deal involved the withdrawal of US and international troops from
Afghanistan and the Taliban not allowing other jihadist groups to operate within the country. The Taliban also
reported that progress was being made in the negotiations.[160]

On 1 March 2019, the Taliban led an assault against Shorab military base, in Helmand, killing 23 security
forces and wounding 20.[161]

On 30 April 2019, Afghan government forces undertook clearing operations directed against both ISIS-K and
the Taliban in eastern Nangarhar Province, after the two groups fought for over a week over a group of
villages in an area of illegal talc mining. The National Directorate of Security claimed 22 ISIS-K fighters were
killed and two weapons caches destroyed, while the Taliban claimed US-backed Afghan forces killed seven
civilians; a provincial official said over 9,000 families had been displaced by the fighting.[162]

On 28 July 2019, President Ashraf Ghani’s running mate Amrullah Saleh’s office was attacked by a suicide
bomber and a few militants. At least 20 people were killed and 50 injured, with Saleh also amongst the injured
ones. During the six-hour-long operation, more than 150 civilians were rescued and three militants were
killed.[163]

By August, the Taliban controlled more territory than at any point since 2001.[164] The Washington Post
reported that the US was close to reaching a peace deal with the Taliban and was preparing to withdraw 5,000
troops from Afghanistan.[165] The same month, however, it was later confirmed that some Taliban leaders,
including Taliban emir Hibatullah Akhunzada's brother Hafiz Ahmadullah and some other relatives,[166] were
killed in a bomb blast at the Khair Ul Madarais mosque, which was located in the Quetta suburb of Kuchlak
and had long served as the main meeting place of members of the Taliban.[167][166] In September, the US
canceled the negotiations.[168]

On 3 September 2019, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide attack in Afghanistan's capital,
targeting the Green Village Compound in Kabul. According to the reports, nearly 16 civilians died, while 119
were reported to be injured.[169]

On 15 September 2019, 38 Taliban fighters, including two senior commanders, were killed in a joint US-
Afghan military operation.[170]

On 17 September 2019, a suicide bomber attacked the campaign rally of President Ashraf Ghani, killing 26
people and wounding 42. Less than an hour later, the Taliban carried out another suicide bomb attack near the
US Embassy and the Afghan Defense Ministry, killing 22 people and wounded around 38.[171]

On 27 October 2019, 80 Taliban fighters were killed as a result of joint Afghan-US military operations in
Kandahar and Faryab.[172]

2020

Peace negotiations had resumed in December 2019.[173] This round


of talks resulted in a seven-day partial ceasefire which began on 22
February.[174] On 29 February, the United States and the Taliban
signed a conditional peace deal in Doha, Qatar[86] that called for a
prisoner exchange within ten days and was supposed to lead to U.S.
troops withdrawal from Afghanistan within 14 months.[87][175]
However, the Afghan government was not a party to the deal, and in
a press conference the next day, President Ghani criticized the deal for
US representative Zalmay Khalilzad
being "signed behind closed doors." He said the Afghan government (left) and Taliban representative
had "made no commitment to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners" and that Abdul Ghani Baradar (right) sign the
such an action "is not the United States' authority, but it is the Agreement for Bringing Peace to
authority of the government of Afghanistan.”[176][177][178][179] Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar on 29
Ghani also stated that any prisoner exchange "cannot be a prerequisite February 2020
for talks" but rather must be negotiated within the talks.[180]

The Taliban resumed offensive operations against the Afghan army and police on 3 March, conducting attacks
in Kunduz and Helmand provinces.[181] On 4 March, the United States retaliated by launching an air strike
against Taliban fighters in Helmand.[182]

On 6 March, ISIS-K killed 32 people in a mass shooting in Kabul.[183] Between 3 and 27 March, the Taliban
claimed 405 attacks against Afghan security forces.[184]

On 20 April, Taliban in another attack killed at least 23 Afghan troops and nine civilians.[185]

In April, The New York Times documented Afghan war casualties from 27 March until 23 April and informed
that at least 262 pro-government forces, alongside 50 civilians have been killed in almost a month's time.
Additionally, hundreds of civilians and Afghan forces also got injured.[186]

On 2 May, Afghan authorities released at least 100 Taliban members from prison in Kabul. This came in
response to the peace deal with the US, which the Taliban argues assured them their 5,000 inmates being
released. However, the Afghan government, which denied release and any authority by the US over decision,
has now agreed to free 1,500 members of the militia organization.
On 12 May, A maternity hospital in Kabul was attacked by gunmen, leading to the death of two newborn
babies and their mothers, alongside 24 other people. The attackers posed as police officers while wearing
police uniforms, which made it possible for them to enter the hospital and opened fire at the people
inside.[187][188]

On 19 May, Afghan forces bombed a clinic in the Northern province


of Kunduz. The bombing is the result of Afghan force's decision to go
on an offensive, a decision made by President Ashraf Ghani of
Afghanistan.[189]

On 28 May, the first attack was carried out since the three-day
ceasefire for Eid al-Fitr holiday ended at a checkpoint in Parwan
province of Kabul, which led to the death of at least 14 members of
the Afghan security forces.[190] The Taliban was blamed for the
attack, based on the statement issued by the spokeswoman to the NATO Secretary General Jens
provincial governor. She added that members of the Taliban were also Stoltenberg and Afghan President
killed during the attack, although the Taliban is yet to claim Ashraf Ghani in Kabul, Afghanistan,
responsibility for the attack.[191][192] According to the District police 2020
chief Hussain Shah, the checkpoint was set ablaze by Taliban fighters,
killing five security forces in the process, with two others killed by
gunshots.[193]

On 29 May, following the attack that claimed the lives of 14 members


of the Afghan forces, the government called on the Taliban to prolong
the ceasefire deal.[194] A Taliban delegation reportedly arrived in
Kabul to negotiate on a prisoner swap by both parties.[195]

According to a report published by the UN Assistance Mission


(UNAMA) on 21 June, fifteen attacks have been carried out on
healthcare in Afghanistan, in the first two months of the COVID-19
pandemic. Of the fifteen attacks, twelve were targeted while the rest
U.S. Secretary of State Mike
were incidental.[196]
Pompeo meeting with Taliban
delegation in Doha, Qatar, on 12
In July, the U.S. Military reported that despite the lack of progress in
September 2020
the peace process, the Afghan government was still able to maintain
control of Kabul, provincial capitals, major population centers, most
district centers and most major ground lines of communications.[197]
There was also a reduction in violence.[197] Also in July, President Ghani reported that since 29 February,
3,560 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed, and 6,781 wounded.[198] On 30 July, a suicide
car bomber killed 17 people in Puli Alam, Logar Province.[199]

In August, ISIS-K conducted an attack on a prison in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, killing 29, injuring at
least 50, and freeing approximately 300 prisoners.[200]

In August, U.S. intelligence officials assessed that Iran offered bounties to the Taliban-linked Haqqani network
to kill foreign servicemembers, including Americans, in Afghanistan.[201][202] U.S. intelligence determined
that Iran paid bounties to Taliban insurgents for the 2019 attack on Bagram airport.[203] According to CNN,
Donald Trump's administration has "never mentioned Iran's connection to the bombing, an omission current
and former officials said was connected to the broader prioritization of the peace agreement and withdrawal
from Afghanistan."[201]
On 14 August, Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan politician and human rights activist, was shot in the arm in an
attempted assassination near Kabul. Koofi had been a vocal Taliban critic, and was also a part of the 21-
member team responsible for representing the Afghan government in peace talks with the Taliban.[204]

On 12 October, Taliban forces launched a major offensive in Helmand Province, with the UN reporting
35,000 forced to flee their homes. During this fighting on the 14 October, two Afghan Army helicopters
evacuating the wounded collided with each other killing all passengers and crew in both aircraft. The Taliban
halted the offensive due to US airstrikes.[205]

On 21 October, Taliban militants ambushed Afghanistan security forces in the province of Takhar killing at
least 34.[206]

In late October, about 25 Afghan and Australian human rights organizations wrote a letter to the Australian
government demanding the release of an inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force,
into the war crimes committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.[207]

In November, the White House told the Pentagon to begin planning to bring the troop levels in Afghanistan
and Iraq down to 2,500 each by 15 January, just days before President Donald Trump would leave office. This
came one week after Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper for pushing back on Trump's efforts to
accelerate the Afghanistan drawdown against the advice of military commanders, including the U.S. and
coalition commander Austin S. Miller, setting off a purge of top Pentagon officials.[208][209]

In December, the Afghan government abandoned 193 checkpoints in Kandahar Province.[210]

2021

United States and allies withdraw

In January 2021, the U.S. reached its target troop level of 2,500 personnel in Afghanistan. This was the lowest
force level since 2001.[211]

On 15 February, IS-KP operatives exchanged fire with fighters of an elite unit of the Afghan government in
Jalalabad. About 20 fighters of the elite unit were killed or wounded in the exchange of fire, which lasted
about six hours.[212]

In March, President Ashraf Ghani confirmed that his government was prepared to take forward peaceful talks
with the Taliban. Addressing the lawmakers, he said to hold discussions around new elections and forming a
government through a democratic process.[213] During the same month, Germany has decided to send more
troops into the country, boosting their forces to 1,300.[214]

On 29 March, the New Zealand Defence Force withdrew their forces from Afghanistan, ending New
Zealand's involvement in the war.[215]

On 13 April, US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of all remaining troops in Afghanistan by
September 11, 2021.[216][217] (The date was later set for August 31.)[218] On the same day, Turkish authorities
said that Turkey would host a summit from April 24 to May 4 in an effort to end the war in Afghanistan.[219]
The summit was later postponed until after Ramadan.[220]

On 15 April, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the remaining 80 troops deployed to
Afghanistan would leave by September 2021 in line with the US withdrawal.[221]
By 30 June, both Germany (which, two months earlier, had
announced plans to withdraw)[222] and Italy had completely
withdrawn their forces and equipment from Afghanistan, ending their
involvement in the war.[223][224] On the same day, the last Polish
troops left Afghanistan, thereby ending Poland's involvement in the
war. Around 33,000 Polish troops had served in Afghanistan during
the war, with 44 being killed in action.[225] On 2 July, officials
announced that Western forces had left the Bagram Air Base without
notice and turned over control of that base to the Afghan NATO's Resolute Support Mission
government.[226] commander Austin S. Miller
alongside U.S. Secretary of Defense
As of 5 July, the Taliban controlled roughly two-thirds of Afghanistan Lloyd Austin in Afghanistan, March
as the NATO forces were completing their withdrawal; and there 2021
were reports of Afghan Army soldiers fleeing from the nation in
droves.[227] In advance of the U.S. withdrawal, Biden had reportedly
concluded that it was an “unwinnable war” and a situation without “a military solution.”[218]

On 11 July, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said that his country had ended their involvement in
Afghanistan.[228]

Taliban advances

In early March, Almar District fell to Taliban forces,[229] and


government forces withdrew from a base in Bala Murghab District,
Badghis Province.[230] The Ministry of Interior announced that they
had withdrawn from 40% of their police checkpoints, and the Taliban
established checkpoints on the Kunduz–Takhar and Pul-i-Khumri–
Mazar-i-Sharif highways.[230]

On March 22, Charkh District in Logar Province fell to Taliban forces


after several ANDSF and policemen were killed by the attacking
Taliban militants. The remaining ANDSF forces apparently fled their A map of Afghanistan showing the
positions.[231][232] Taliban offensive

On April 14, Taliban forces attacked an Afghan military base in


Zabul, killing at least 10 Afghan soldiers, including a commander.[233]

A UN report dated May 20, 2021, stated that "the Taliban now contest or control an estimated 50 to 70 per
cent of Afghan territory outside of urban centres, while also exerting direct control over 57 per cent of district
administrative centres."[234]

Between June 4 and June 5, 2021, Du Ab District fell to the Taliban forces after 20 days of fighting. This
marked the 7th district to fall to the Taliban since May 1, 2021.[235]

According to the New York Times, between June 1 and June 11, 327 Afghan security forces and 82 civilians
were killed. Also, at least 11 districts had fallen to the Taliban in the same period of time.[236]

On June 16, at least 24 elite Afghan commandos and 5 police officers were killed after being surrounded by
Taliban forces whilst defending the key district of Dawlat Aban in Fayrab province. The Taliban took control
of the district.[237]
On June 18, Taliban forces entered the city of Kunduz, beginning a new battle for the city.[238] Fighting was
reportedly still ongoing by June 22.[239]

On June 22, the Taliban captured Shir Khan Bandar, Afghanistan's main Tajikistan border crossing.[240] 13
districts fell to the Taliban within 24 hours.[241] On the same day heavy fighting was also occurring in
Baghlan province after Afghan forces launched a military operation on the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri, the
provincial capital, killing 17 Taliban militants including Qari Khalid, a Taliban divisional commander.[242]
Simultaneously, Taliban forces took control of Balkh and encircled Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh
province.[243][244]

On June 23, the Taliban and Afghan forces clashed inside Pul-e Khumri.[245]

On June 25, the Taliban took control of the Shinwari District and the Ghorband District in Parwan province
north of Kabul.[246] That same day NBC News reported that the Taliban "were surprised at the speed of their
advance and had avoided capturing some targets so as not to run afoul of the U.S.,"[247] and the Afghan
government launched a program called National Mobilization that aimed to arm militia groups to fight the
Taliban.[248]

On June 27, Chaki Wardak District and Saydabad District fell to the Taliban after at least 50 Afghan troops
surrendered and were captured by the Taliban. On the same day Rustaq District, Shortepa District and the
Arghistan District fell to the Taliban. ToloNews reported that 108 districts fell to the Taliban in the last two
months and the Afghan army had only managed to re-take 10.[249][250]

On June 29, the Taliban launched an offensive on Ghazni city, causing violent clashes within the city.[251]

On July 5, 11 more districts fell to the Taliban, following heavy Afghan Army losses in the northern part of the
country in the week prior.[252] On July 7, the Taliban attacked Qala e Naw, the capital of Badghis Province.
Taliban forces captured the city's police headquarters and National Directorate of Security office, in what the
AFP described as "the first time the Taliban have attempted to overrun a provincial capital."[253]

On July 9, during the early morning, the Taliban captured Afghanistan's main border crossings with Iran and
Turkmenistan, Islam Qala and Torghundi respectively, rendering the city of Herat surrounded by Taliban
forces.[254]

On 22 July, about 100 people were killed in a mass shooting in Spin Boldak District, Kandahar Province.

On 3 August, 13 people were killed in a Taliban suicide car bombing and shootout in Kabul.

By 6 August, the Taliban had captured their first provincial capital Zaranj, in Nimroz Province. A UN envoy
warned that Afghanistan was entering a 'deadlier phase' of the war.[255] As of 12 August, the Taliban controls
10 out of 34 provincial capitals of Afghanistan.[256]

Impact on Afghan society

Civilian casualties

According to the Costs of War project at Brown University, as of April 2021, the war has killed 47,245
Afghan civilians in Afghanistan.[257] A report titled Body Count put together by Physicians for Social
Responsibility, Physicians for Global Survival and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for
the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) concluded that 106,000–170,000 civilians have been killed as a result
of the fighting in Afghanistan at the hands of all parties to the conflict.[258]
A U.N. report over the year 2009 stated that, of the 1,500 civilians
having died from January until the end of August 2009, 70% were
blamed on "anti-government elements".[259]

The US website of The Weekly Standard stated in 2010, referring to a


UN Report, that 76% of civilian deaths in Afghanistan over the past
year had been "caused by the Taliban".[260] That is a misquotation of
the UNAMA Report, which does not attribute numbers of deaths
directly to the Taliban, but to "anti-government elements" (AGE) and
to "pro-government forces" (PGF). Over the period January until June
Victims of the Narang night raid that
2010, indeed the report published in August 2010 stated that, of all
killed at least 10 Afghan civilians,
3,268 civilian casualties (dead or wounded), 2,477 casualties (76%)
December 2009
were caused by AGE, 386 caused by PGF (11%).[261]

Over the whole of 2010, with a total of 2,777 civilians killed, the UN
reported 2,080 civilian deaths caused by "anti-government elements" (75%), "pro-government forces" caused
440 deaths, and 257 deaths "could not be attributed to any party".[262][263]

In July 2011, a UN report said "1,462 non-combatants died" in the first six months of 2011 (insurgents
80%).[264] In 2011 a record 3,021 civilians were killed, the fifth successive annual rise.[265] According to a
UN report, in 2013 there were 2,959 civilian deaths with 74% being blamed on anti-government forces, 8% on
Afghan security forces, 3% on ISAF forces, 10% to ground engagements between anti-Government forces
and pro-Government forces and 5% of the deaths were unattributed.[266] 60% of Afghans have direct personal
experience and most others report suffering a range of hardships. 96% have been affected either personally or
from the wider consequences.[267]

In 2015, according to the United Nations (UN) annual report there were 3,545 civilian deaths and 7,457
people wounded.[268] The anti-government elements were responsible for 62% of the civilians killed or
wounded. The pro-government forces caused 17% of civilian deaths and injuries – including United States and
NATO troops, which were responsible for about 2% of the casualties.[269]

In 2016, a total of 3,498 civilians deaths and 7,920 injuries were recorded by the United Nations. The UN
attributed 61% of casualties to anti-government forces.[270] Afghan security forces caused about 20% of the
overall casualties, while pro-government militias and Resolute Support Mission caused 2% each. Air strikes by
US and NATO warplanes resulted in at least 127 civilian deaths and 108 injuries. While, the Afghan air force
accounted for at least 85 deaths and 167 injuries. The UN was not able to attribute responsibility for the
remaining 38 deaths and 65 injuries resulting from air strikes.[271]

During the parliamentary elections on 20 October 2018, several


explosions targeting the polling stations took place. At least 36 people
were killed and 130 were injured. Previously, ten election candidates
were killed during the campaigning by the Taliban and the Islamic
State group.[272]

On 28 December 2018 a report issued by UNICEF revealed that


during the first nine months of 2018, five thousand children were
killed or injured in Afghanistan.[273] Manuel Fontaine UNICEF Gathering outside Afghan embassy
Director of Emergency Programs said the world has forgotten in Tehran to condemn the 2021 Kabul
school bombing
children living in conflict zones.[274]

According to the Human Rights Watch, more than 10,000 civilians


were killed or wounded during 2018, out of which one third were children. Reportedly, countless deadly
attacks were carried out in urban areas by insurgents. Airstrikes and night raids by the US and Afghan forces
also caused heavy civilian casualties.[275]

Healthcare

Since 2001, life expectancy has increased from 56 to 64 years and the maternal mortality rate has reduced by
half. 89% of residents living in cities have access to clean water, up from 16% in 2001. The rate of child
marriage has been reduced by 17%.[92][276]

A September 2019 Taliban attack destroyed most buildings of the main hospital in southern Afghanistan and
killed almost 40 people, due to which the country is now reportedly struggling to efficiently fight against the
COVID-19 pandemic.[277]

Refugees

Since 2001, more than 5.7 million former refugees have returned to Afghanistan,[278][279][280] but 2.6 million
others remained refugees in 2021 and few refugees were returning.[91][281] In January 2013 the UN estimated
that 547,550 were internally displaced persons, a 25% increase over the 447,547 IDPs estimated for January
2012[280][281][282] 400,000 people were displaced in 2020 and 200,000 were displaced in the first half of
2021.[91]

Interpreters

Afghans who interpreted for the British army have been tortured and killed in Afghanistan, including their
families. As of May 2018 the UK government has now resettled 3000 interpreters and family members in the
UK.[283]

Drug trade

From 1996 to 1999, the Taliban controlled 96% of Afghanistan's


poppy fields and made opium its largest source of revenue. Taxes on
opium exports became one of the mainstays of Taliban income.
According to Rashid, "drug money funded the weapons, ammunition
and fuel for the war." In The New York Times, the Finance Minister of
the United Front, Wahidullah Sabawoon, declared the Taliban had no
annual budget but that they "appeared to spend US$300 million a
Afghanistan opium poppy cultivation,
year, nearly all of it on war". He added that the Taliban had come to 1994–2016 (hectares)
increasingly rely on three sources of money: "poppy, the Pakistanis
and bin Laden".[284]

By 2000 Afghanistan accounted for an estimated 75% of the world's opium supply and in 2000 produced an
estimated 3276 tonnes from 82,171 hectares (203,050 acres).[285] Omar then banned opium cultivation and
production dropped to an estimated 74 metric tonnes from 1,685 hectares (4,160 acres).[286] Some observers
say the ban – which came in a bid for international recognition at the United Nations – was issued only to raise
opium prices and increase profit from the sale of large existing stockpiles. 1999 had yielded a record crop and
had been followed by a lower but still large 2000 harvest. The trafficking of accumulated stocks continued in
2000 and 2001. In 2002, the UN mentioned the "existence of significant stocks of opiates accumulated during
previous years of bumper harvests". In September 2001 – before 11 September attacks against the US – the
Taliban allegedly authorized Afghan peasants to sow opium again.[284]
Soon after the invasion opium production increased markedly.[287] By 2005, Afghanistan was producing 90%
of the world's opium, most of which was processed into heroin and sold in Europe and Russia.[288] In 2009,
the BBC reported that "UN findings say an opium market worth $65bn (£39bn) funds global terrorism, caters
to 15 million addicts, and kills 100,000 people every year".[289]

United States officials have stated that winning the War on drugs in Afghanistan is integral for winning the
War on Terror in Afghanistan, asking for international assistance in drug eradication efforts.[290]

Public education

As of 2013, 8.2 million Afghans attended school, up from 1.2 million in 2001.[291] The literacy rate has risen
from 8% to 43% since 2001.[92]

All Afghan children are legally required to complete class nine. In 2017, Human Rights Watch reported that
the Afghan government was unable to provide a system to ensure all children received this level of education
and, in practice, many children missed out.[292] In 2018, UNICEF reported that 3.7 million children between
the ages of seven and 17, or 44 percent, were not attending school.[293]

As of 2017, the Afghan government has cooperated with Taliban forces to provide education services: in
Khogyani District, the government is given "nominal control" by local Taliban fighters in return for paying the
wages of teachers whom the Taliban appoint in local schools.[294]

Girls' education

As of 2013, 3.2 million girls attended school, up fewer than 50,000 in


2001.[295] 39% of girls were attending school in 2017 compared to
6% in 2003.[91]

While the Taliban typically opposed girls' education, in 2017 in


Khogyani District it has allowed girls to receive education in order to
improve its standing among local residents.[294]

In 2018, UNICEF reported that sixty percent of girls did not attend A young Afghan girl in Qalat pictured
school. In some provinces such as Kandahar, Helmand, Wardak, by the 116th Infantry Battalion before
Paktika, Zabul and Uruzgan, 85 percent of girls were not going to receiving school supplies in 2011
school.[293]

War crimes
War crimes (a serious violation of the laws and customs of war giving rise to individual criminal
responsibility)[296] have been committed by both sides including civilian massacres, bombings of civilian
targets, terrorism, use of torture and the murder of prisoners of war. Additional common crimes include theft,
arson, and destruction of property not warranted by military necessity.

Taliban

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIGRC) called the Taliban's terrorism against the
Afghan civilian population a war crime.[78] According to Amnesty International, the Taliban commit war
crimes by targeting civilians, including killing teachers, abducting aid workers and burning school buildings.
Amnesty International said that up to 756 civilians were killed in 2006 by bombs, mostly on roads or carried
by suicide attackers belonging to the Taliban.[297]

NATO has alleged that the Taliban have used civilians as human shields. As an example, NATO pointed to the
victims of NATO air strikes in Farah province in May 2009, during which the Afghan government claims up
to 150 civilians were killed. NATO stated it had evidence the Taliban forced civilians into buildings likely to
be targeted by NATO aircraft involved in the battle. A spokesman for the ISAF commander said: "This was a
deliberate plan by the Taliban to create a civilian casualty crisis. These were not human shields; these were
human sacrifices. We have intelligence that points to this."[298] According to the US State Department, the
Taliban committed human rights violations against women in Afghanistan.[299]

On 7 August 2010, Taliban gunmen killed medical aid workers in Afghanistan. After returning from an on
foot trip to provide medical aid and care, the group of six Americans, a Briton, a German and four Afghans
was accosted and shot by gunmen in a nearby forest in the Hindu Kush mountains.[300] This attack was the
largest massacre on aid workers in Afghanistan and the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.[300] The
Taliban claimed the Christian aid group which had been active in Afghanistan was responsible for spying, and
that they were not providing any actual aid. This attack on aid workers constitutes one of the many war crimes
committed by the Taliban.[300]

In 2011, The New York Times reported that the Taliban was responsible for 3 ⁄4 of all civilian deaths in the war
in Afghanistan.[301][302] In 2013 the UN stated that the Taliban had been placing bombs along transit
routes.[303]

In 2015, Amnesty International reported that the Taliban committed mass murder and gang rape of Afghan
civilians in Kunduz.[304] Taliban fighters killed and raped female relatives of police commanders and soldiers
as well as midwives.[304] One female human rights activist described the situation in the following
manner:[304]

"When the Taliban asserted their control over Kunduz, they claimed to be bringing law and order
and Shari'a to the city. But everything they've done has violated both. I don't know who can
rescue us from this situation."

On 25 July 2019, there were three explosions in the capital of Kabul that killed at least fifteen people, leaving
dozens wounded.[305] The attack was targeting a bus carrying government officials from the ministry of mines
and petroleum.[305] The attacks left five women and children dead. Minutes later, a suicide bomber blew
himself up nearby and this resulted in another seven dead.[305] A spokesman for the Taliban claimed
responsibility for the attacks.[305]

On 12 July 2021, Taliban fighters executed 22 unarmed Afghan commandos after the commandos surrendered
due to running out of ammunition. One of the commandos was the son of a retired Afghan general.[306]

Northern Alliance

In December 2001, the Dasht-i-Leili massacre took place, where between 250 and 3,000 Taliban fighters who
had surrendered, were shot and/or suffocated to death in metal truck containers during transportation by
Northern Alliance forces. Reports place US ground troops at the scene.[307][308][309] The Irish documentary
Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death investigated these allegations and claimed that mass graves of
thousands of victims were found by UN investigators[310] and that the US blocked investigations into the
incident.[311]
NATO and allies

On 21 June 2003, David Passaro, a CIA contractor and former United


States Army Ranger, killed Abdul Wali, a prisoner at a US base
16 km (10 mi) south of Asadabad, in Kunar Province. Passaro was
found guilty of one count of felony assault with a dangerous weapon
and three counts of misdemeanor assault. On 10 August 2009, he was
sentenced to 8 years and 4 months in prison.[312][313]

In 2002, two unarmed civilian Afghan prisoners were tortured and


later killed by US armed forces personnel at the Bagram Theater
Internment Facility (also Bagram Collection Point or B.C.P.) in Afghan teenage farmer murdered on
15 January 2010 by a group of US
Bagram, Afghanistan.[314] The prisoners, Habibullah and Dilawar,
Army soldiers called the Kill Team
were chained to the ceiling and beaten, which caused their
deaths.[315] Military coroners ruled that both the prisoners' deaths
were homicides.[316] Autopsies revealed severe trauma to both
prisoners' legs, describing the trauma as comparable to being run over by a bus. Fifteen soldiers were charged.

During the summer of 2010, ISAF charged five United States Army soldiers with the murder of three Afghan
civilians in Kandahar province and collecting their body parts as trophies in what came to be known as the
Maywand District murders. In addition, seven soldiers were charged with crimes such as hashish use,
impeding an investigation and attacking the whistleblower, Specialist Justin Stoner.[317][318][319] Eleven of the
twelve soldiers were convicted on various counts.[320]

A British Royal Marine Sergeant, identified as Sergeant Alexander Blackman from Taunton, Somerset,[321]
was convicted at court martial in Wiltshire of the murder of an unarmed, reportedly wounded, Afghan fighter
in Helmand Province in September 2011.[322] In 2013, he received a life sentence from the court martial in
Bulford, Wiltshire, and was dismissed with disgrace from the Royal Marines. In 2017, after appeal to the Court
Martial Appeal Court (CMAC), his conviction was lessened to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished
responsibility and the sentence was reduced to seven years effectively releasing Blackman due to time
served.[323]

On 11 March 2012, the Kandahar massacre occurred when sixteen civilians were killed and six wounded in
the Panjwayi District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.[324][325] Nine of the victims were children,[325] and
eleven of the dead were from the same family.[326] United States Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was taken
into custody and charged with sixteen counts of premeditated murder. Bales pleaded guilty to sixteen counts of
premeditated murder as part of a plea deal to avoid a death sentence, and was subsequently sentenced to life in
prison without parole and dishonorably discharged from the United States Army.[327]

On 3 October 2015, a USAF airstrike hit a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders in Kunduz during
the Battle of Kunduz. 42 people were killed and over 30 were injured in the airstrike.[328] Zeid Ra’ad al-
Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that it may have been a war
crime.[329] Eleven days after the attack, a US tank made its way into the hospital compound. Doctors Without
Borders officials said: "Their unannounced and forced entry damaged property, destroyed potential evidence
and caused stress and fear for the MSF team."[330] An investigation by the United States Central Command
was approved by General John F Campbell on 21 November 2015. The report concluded that certain
personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict. However, the
investigation concluded that the airstrike was not a war crime, stating that the label "war crimes" is typically
reserved for intentional acts—intentionally targeting civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects (like
hospitals). The investigation found that the incident resulted from a mixture of human errors and equipment
failures, and that none of the personnel knew they were striking a medical facility,[331]
In November 2014, Amnesty International accused the Pentagon of covering up evidence related to war
crimes, torture and unlawful killings in Afghanistan.[332]

In September 2018, the United States threatened to arrest and impose sanctions on International Criminal
Court judges and other officials if they tried to charge any US soldier who served in Afghanistan with war
crimes.[333] The US further claimed that they would not cooperate in any way with the International Criminal
Court in the Hague if it carries out a prospective investigation into allegations of war crimes by US military
and intelligence personnel in Afghanistan.[334] On 12 April 2019 a panel of ICC judges decided that they
would not open an investigation in Afghanistan. The Court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda provided a
report that established "a reasonable basis" that crimes had been committed, but they decided against
continuing because the US and other parties would not cooperate.[335][336]

Australian whistleblower David McBride leaked classified documents to ABC journalists in 2017, who went
on to produce a series called The Afghan Files.[337] The documents covered a wide range of topics, however
most notably it detailed multiple cases of unlawful killings of unarmed civilians.[338] In response to the leak,
the Australian Federal Police raided the ABC's offices in June 2019.[339]

In March 2020, senior judges at the international criminal court called for the investigation into war crimes by
the US, Afghan and Taliban troops in Afghanistan. The ruling overturned the previous rejection of probe into
US’ role in committing war crimes.[340]

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force publibly released a redacted version of the
Afghanistan Inquiry, otherwise known as the Brereton Report,[341] in November 2020, detailing misconduct
by Australian troops in Afghanistan, predominantly the SAS.[342] It found evidence of 39 unlawful killings by
Australian forces, including murdering non-combatants and the execution of prisoners, resulting in the
disbandment of an SAS squadron and a police investigation.[343]

White phosphorus use

White phosphorus has been condemned by human rights organizations as cruel and inhumane because it
causes severe burns. White phosphorus burns on the bodies of civilians wounded in clashes near Bagram were
confirmed. The US claims at least 44 instances in which militants have used white phosphorus in weapons or
attacks.[344] In May 2009, the US confirmed that Western military forces in Afghanistan use white phosphorus
to illuminate targets or as an incendiary to destroy bunkers and enemy equipment.[345][346] US forces used
white phosphorus to screen a retreat in the Battle of Ganjgal when regular smoke munitions were not
available.[347]

Costs
The cost of the war reportedly was a major factor as US officials considered drawing down troops in
2011.[348] The estimated average cost of deploying just one US soldier in Afghanistan is over US$1 million a
year.[349]

In March 2019, the United States Department of Defense estimated fiscal obligations of $737.592 billion have
incurred expended during FY2001 to FY2018 in Afghanistan, at a cost of $3,714 per taxpayer.[350] However
Brown University research came up with a higher figure of $975 billion for FY2001 to FY2019.[351]

For FY2019, the United States Department of Defense requested approximately $46.3 billion for Operation
FREEDOM'S SENTINEL (US codename for War in Afghanistan) and Related Missions[352]
According to Investment in Blood, a book by Frank Ledwidge, summations for the UK contribution to the war
in Afghanistan came to £37bn ($56.46 billion).[353]

Criticism of costs

In 2011, the independent Commission on Wartime Contracting reported to Congress that, during the previous
decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States had lost between $31 and $60 billion to waste and fraud and
that this amount may continue to increase.[354]

In the summer of 2013, preparing for withdrawal the following year, the US military destroyed over 77,000
metric tons of equipment and vehicles worth over $7 billion that could not be shipped back to the United
States. Some was sold to Afghans as scrap metal.[355] In 2013, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction, a US government oversight body, criticized the misuse or waste of hundreds of millions of
dollars in US aid, including the $772 million purchase of aircraft for the Afghan military especially since "the
Afghans lack the capacity to operate and maintain them."[356]

The "Lessons Learned," a confidential report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction (SIGAR), estimates that 40% of U.S. aid to Afghanistan since 2001 ended up in the pockets of
corrupt officials, warlords, criminals and insurgents.[357] Ryan Crocker, former ambassador to Afghanistan
and Iraq, told the investigators in a 2016 interview, "You just cannot put those amounts of money into a very
fragile state and society, and not have it fuel corruption."[358]

Even as the Taliban threatened stability in Kabul in 2021, President Biden justified his decision to withdraw
U.S. troops by saying: "We spent over a trillion dollars over 20 years."[359]

Stability problems
In a 2008 interview, the then-head US Central Command General David H. Petraeus, insisted that the Taliban
were gaining strength. He cited a recent increase in attacks in Afghanistan and in neighboring Pakistan.
Petraeus insisted that the problems in Afghanistan were more complicated than the ones he had faced in Iraq
during his tour and required removing widespread sanctuaries and strongholds.[360]

Observers have argued that the mission in Afghanistan is hampered by a lack of agreement on objectives, a
lack of resources, lack of coordination, too much focus on the central government at the expense of local and
provincial governments, and too much focus on the country instead of the region.[361]

In 2009, Afghanistan moved three places in Transparency


International's annual index of corruption, becoming the world's
second most-corrupt country just ahead of Somalia.[362] In the same
month, Malalai Joya, a former member of the Afghan Parliament and
the author of "Raising My Voice", expressed opposition to an
expansion of the US military presence and her concerns about the
future. "Eight years ago, the US and NATO—under the banner of
women's rights, human rights, and democracy—occupied my country
and pushed us from the frying pan into the fire. Eight years is enough Hamid Karzai and Barack Obama in
to know better about the corrupt, mafia system of President Hamid 2009
Karzai. My people are crushed between two powerful enemies. From
the sky, occupation forces bomb and kill civilians … and on the
ground, the Taliban and warlords continue their crimes. It is better that they leave my country; my people are
that fed up. Occupation will never bring liberation, and it is impossible to bring democracy by war."[363]
Pakistan plays a central role in the conflict. A 2010 report published by the London School of Economics says
that Pakistan's ISI has an "official policy" of support to the Taliban.[364] "Pakistan appears to be playing a
double-game of astonishing magnitude," the report states.[364] Amrullah Saleh, former director of
Afghanistan's intelligence service, stated, "We talk about all these proxies [Taliban, Haqqanis] but not the
master of proxies, which is the Pakistan army. The question is what does Pakistan's army want to achieve …?
They want to gain influence in the region"[365] About the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan he stated:
"[T]hey fight for the US national interest but … without them we will face massacre and disaster and God
knows what type of a future Afghanistan will have."[365][366]

The New York Times reports that the US created a 'void' that allowed other countries to step in. For example,
Iran is making efforts to expand influence into Afghanistan and fill the vacuum. In the past two decades, the
US took out two of Iran's regional enemies: Saddam Hussein through the Iraq War as well as the Taliban.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are other 'dominant players'. Once enemies, Iran and the Taliban have strengthened
ties, with Russian assistance as well, to 'bleed' the American force. Lately, the Taliban has been 'diversifying'
its sources by calling for economic support from Dubai, UAE and Bahrain. Pakistan has also given economic
support and encouraged increased Iran-Taliban ties.[367]

Iran and Russia, emboldened by their alliance in the Syrian Civil War, have also initiated a 'proxy war' in
Afghanistan against the US.[367]

The article says that Afghans yearn for the days when they were at the center of the thriving Silk Road
connecting China to Europe. Iran plans to build roads from Afghanistan to the Persian Gulf so that
Afghanistan would not be landlocked anymore. Herat is sometimes referred to as 'Little Iran' and during the
Soviet–Afghan War many Afghans fled to Iran for refuge.[367]

China has also been quietly expanding its influence. Since 2010 China has signed mining contracts with
Kabul[368] and is even building a military base in Badakshan to counter regional terrorism (from the
ETIM).[369] China has donated billions of dollars in aid over the years to Afghanistan, which plays a strategic
role in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Diplomat says that China has the potential to play an important role in
bringing peace and stability to the region.[369]

According to senior administration officials, Donald Trump said during a meeting at the White House in July
2017 that the US was losing the war and had considered firing the US generals in charge.[368] An article in
NBC said that what set Trump apart during that meeting relative to his predecessors was his open questioning
of the quality of the advice that he was receiving.[368]

In December 2019 The Washington Post published 2,000 pages of government documents, mostly transcripts
of interviews with more than 400 key figures involved in prosecuting the Afghanistan war. According to the
Post and the Guardian, the documents (dubbed the Afghanistan Papers) showed that US officials consistently
and deliberately misled the American public about the unwinnable nature of the conflict,[370] and some
commentators and foreign policy experts subsequently drew comparisons to the release of the Pentagon
Papers.[370] The Post obtained the documents from the Office of the Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction, via FISA requests, after a three-year legal battle.[371][370]

Afghan security forces

Afghan National Army

US policy called for boosting the Afghan National Army to 134,000 soldiers by October 2010. By May 2010
the Afghan Army had accomplished this interim goal and was on track to reach its ultimate number of 171,000
by 2011.[372] This increase in Afghan troops allowed the US to begin withdrawing its forces in July
2011.[373][374]

In 2010, the Afghan National Army had limited fighting capacity.[375]


Even the best Afghan units lacked training, discipline and adequate
reinforcements. In one new unit in Baghlan Province, soldiers had
been found cowering in ditches rather than fighting.[376] Some were
suspected of collaborating with the Taliban.[375] "They don't have the
basics, so they lay down," said Capt. Michael Bell, who was one of a
team of US and Hungarian mentors tasked with training Afghan
soldiers. "I ran around for an hour trying to get them to shoot, getting Afghan Commandos practice
fired on. I couldn't get them to shoot their weapons."[375] In addition, infiltration techniques, 1 April 2010 at
9 out of 10 soldiers in the Afghan National Army were illiterate.[377] Camp Morehead in the outer regions
of Kabul.
The Afghan Army was plagued by inefficiency and endemic
corruption.[378] US training efforts were drastically slowed by the
problems.[379] US trainers reported missing vehicles, weapons and
other military equipment, and outright theft of fuel.[375] Death threats
were leveled against US officers who tried to stop Afghan soldiers
from stealing. Afghan soldiers often snipped the command wires of
IEDs instead of marking them and waiting for US forces to come to
detonate them. This allowed insurgents to return and reconnect
them.[375] US trainers frequently removed the cell phones of Afghan
soldiers hours before a mission for fear that the operation would be
Soldiers from the Afghan army
compromised.[380] American trainers often spent large amounts of
patrolling a village in Khost Province
time verifying that Afghan rosters were accurate—that they are not
in 2010
padded with "ghosts" being "paid" by Afghan commanders who stole
the wages.[381]

Desertion was a significant problem. One in every four combat


soldiers quit the Afghan Army during the 12-month period ending in
September 2009, according to data from the US Defense Department
and the Inspector General for Reconstruction in Afghanistan.[382]

In early 2015, Philip Munch of the Afghanistan Analysts' Network


wrote that '..the available evidence suggests that many senior ANSF
members, in particular, use their positions to enrich themselves. Within
the ANSF there are also strong external loyalties to factions who
US Marines and ANA soldiers take
themselves compete for influence and access to resources. All this
cover in Marja on 13 February 2010
means that the ANSF may not work as they officially should. Rather
during their offensive to secure the
city from the Taliban.
it appears that the political economy of the ANSF prevents them from
working like modern organisations – the very prerequisite' of the
Resolute Support Mission.[383] Formal and informal income, Munch
said, which can be generated through state positions, is rent-seeking – income without a corresponding
investment of labour or capital. 'Reportedly, ANA appointees also often maintain clients, so that patron-client
networks, structured into competing factions, can be traced within the ANA down to the lowest levels. ...
There is evidence that Afghan officers and officials, especially in the higher echelons, appropriate large parts
of the vast resource flows which are directed by international donors into the ANA.[384]

Most Afghan fighters being trained by the U.S. habitually use opium, and it is a constant struggle to field them
in a sober state.[385] Rape in U.S.-run military facilities by other Afghan soldiers also plagues Afghan recruits
and undermines combat readiness.[386] A report by a U.S. inspector general revealed 5,753 cases of "gross
human rights abuses by Afghan forces," including "routine enslavement and rape of underage boys by Afghan
commanders."[387]

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has


reported that roughly half of Afghan soldiers brought to the United
States for training go absent without leave which may inhibit the
operational readiness of their units back in Afghanistan, negatively
impact the morale of other trainees and home units and pose security
risks to the United States.[388]

An Afghan soldier surveying a valley


Afghan National Police during an anti-Taliban operation

The Afghan National Police provides support to the Afghan army.


Police officers in Afghanistan are also largely illiterate. Approximately 17% of them tested positive for illegal
drugs in 2010. They were widely accused of demanding bribes.[389] Attempts to build a credible Afghan
police force were faltering badly, according to NATO officials.[390] A quarter of the officers quit every year,
making the Afghan government's goals of substantially building up the police force even harder to
achieve.[390]

Tactics/strategy of anti-government elements


The armed opposition or anti-government elements – some Western news media tend to address them all
simply as "Taliban"[391] – have from 2008 into 2009 shifted their tactics from frontal attacks on pro-
government forces to guerrilla type activities, including suicide, car and road side bombs (IEDs), and targeted
assassinations, said a UNAMA report in July 2009.[392] Mr. Maley, an Afghanistan expert at the Australian
National University, stated in 2009 that IEDs had become Taliban's weapon of choice.[391]

In 2008–2009, according to the Christian Science Monitor, 16 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were
planted in girls' schools in Afghanistan, but there is no certainty who did it.[391]

Insider attacks

Beginning in 2011, insurgent forces in Afghanistan began using a tactic of insider attacks on ISAF and
Afghan military forces. In the attacks, Taliban personnel or sympathizers belonging to, or pretending to belong
to, the Afghan military or police forces attack ISAF personnel, often within the security of ISAF military bases
and Afghan government facilities. In 2011, for example, 21 insider attacks killed 35 coalition personnel. Forty-
six insider attacks killed 63 and wounded 85 coalition troops, mostly American, in the first 11 months of
2012.[393] The attacks continued but began diminishing towards the planned 31 December 2014 ending of
combat operations in Afghanistan by ISAF. However, on 5 August 2014, a gunman in an Afghan military
uniform opened fire on a number of international military personnel, killing a US general and wounding about
15 officers and soldiers, including a German brigadier general and 8 US troops, at a training base west of
Kabul.[394]

Reactions

Domestic reactions
In November 2001, the CNN reported widespread relief amongst Kabul's residents after the Taliban fled the
city, with young men shaving off their beards and women taking off their burqas.[395] Later that month the
BBC's longtime Kabul correspondent Kate Clark reported that "almost all women in Kabul are still choosing
to veil" but that many felt hopeful that the ousting of the Taliban would improve their safety and access to
food.[396]

A 2006 WPO opinion poll found that the majority of Afghans


endorsed America's military presence, with 83% of Afghans stating
that they had a favorable view of the US military forces in their
country. Only 17% gave an unfavorable view.[397] The majority of
Afghans, among all ethnic groups including Pashtuns, stated that the
overthrowing of the Taliban was a good thing. 82% of Afghans as a
whole and 71% of those living in the war zone held this anti-Taliban
view.[398] The Afghan population gave the USA one of its most
favorable ratings in the world. A solid majority (81%) of Afghans A U.S. marine interacting with
stated that they held a favorable view of the USA.[399] However, the Afghan children in Helmand Province
majority of Afghans (especially those in the war zone) held negative
views on Pakistan and most Afghans also stated that they believe that
the Pakistani government was allowing the Taliban to operate from its soil.[400]

Polls of Afghans displayed strong opposition to the Taliban and significant support of the US military
presence. However, the idea of permanent US military bases was not popular in 2005.[401]

According to a May 2009 BBC poll, 69% of Afghans surveyed


thought it was at least mostly good that the US military came in to
remove the Taliban—a decrease from 87% of Afghans surveyed in
2005. 24% thought it was mostly or very bad—up from 9% in 2005.
The poll indicated that 63% of Afghans were at least somewhat
supportive of a US military presence in the country—down from 78%
in 2005. Just 18% supported increasing the US military's presence,
while 44% favored reducing it. 90% of Afghans surveyed opposed
the Taliban, including 70% who were strongly opposed. By an 82%– Afghan women wait outside a
4% margin, people said they preferred the current government to USAID-supported health care clinic.
Taliban rule.[402]

In a June 2009 Gallup survey, about half of Afghan respondents felt that additional US forces would help
stabilize the security situation in the southern provinces. But opinions varied widely; residents in the troubled
South were mostly mixed or uncertain, while those in the West largely disagreed that more US troops would
help the situation.[403]

In December 2009, many Afghan tribal heads and local leaders from the south and east called for US troop
withdrawals. "I don't think we will be able to solve our problems with military force," said Muhammad Qasim,
a Kandahar tribal elder. "We can solve them by providing jobs and development and by using local leaders to
negotiate with the Taliban."[404] "If new troops come and are stationed in civilian areas, when they draw
Taliban attacks civilians will end up being killed," said Gulbadshah Majidi, a lawmaker and close associate of
Mr. Karzai. "This will only increase the distance between Afghans and their government."[405]

In late January 2010, Afghan protesters took to the streets for three straight days and blocked traffic on a
highway that links Kabul and Kandahar. The Afghans were demonstrating in response to the deaths of four
men in a NATO-Afghan raid in the village of Ghazni. Ghazni residents insisted that the dead were
civilians.[406]
A 2015 survey by Langer Research Associates found that 77% of Afghans support the presence of US forces;
67% also support the presence of NATO forces. Despite the problems in the country, 80% of Afghans still
held the view that it was a good thing for the United States to overthrow the Taliban in 2001. More Afghans
blame the Taliban or al-Qaeda for the country's violence (53%) than those who blame the USA
(12%).[407][408]

International reactions

A 47-nation global survey of public opinion conducted in June 2007


by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found considerable opposition to
the NATO military operations in Afghanistan. Only Israel and Kenya
citizens were in favor of the war.[409] On the other hand, in 41 of the
47 countries pluralities wanted NATO troops out of Afghanistan as
soon as possible. The authors of the survey mentioned a "global
unease with major world powers" and in America that "Afghan War
not worth it".[409] In 32 out of 47 countries majorities wanted NATO
22 December 2009 protest against
troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. Majorities in 7 out of
the war, New York City
12 NATO member countries wanted troops withdrawn as soon as
possible.[409][410][411]

In 2008 there was a strong opposition to war in Afghanistan in 21 of 24 countries surveyed. Only in the US
and Great Britain did half the people support the war, with a larger percentage (60%) in Australia.[412] Since
then, public opinion in Australia and Britain has shifted, and the majority of Australians and British now also
want their troops to be brought home from Afghanistan. Authors of articles on the issue mentioned that
"Australians lose faith in Afghan War effort" and "cruel human toll of fight to win Afghan
peace".[413][414][415][416] Of the seven NATO countries in the survey, not one showed a majority in favor of
keeping NATO troops in Afghanistan – one, the US, came close to a majority (50%). Of the other six NATO
countries, five had majorities of their population wanting NATO troops removed from Afghanistan as soon as
possible.[412]

The 2009 global survey reported that majorities or pluralities in 18 out of 25 countries wanted NATO to
remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible.[417]:22 Despite American calls for NATO allies to
send more troops to Afghanistan, there was majority or plurality opposition to such action in every one of the
NATO countries surveyed.[417]:39

Public opinion in 2001

When the invasion began in October 2001, polls indicated that about
88% of Americans and about 65% of Britons backed military
action.[418]

A large-scale 37-nation poll of world opinion carried out by Gallup


International in late September 2001 found that large majorities in
most countries favored a legal response, in the form of extradition and
trial, over a military response to 9/11: only three countries out of the
37 surveyed—the US, Israel and India—did majorities favor military Home-made sign (2015) in Devine,
action. In the other 34 countries surveyed, the poll found many clear Texas, south of San Antonio,
welcomes returning troops from the
majorities that favored extradition and trial instead of military action:
war in Afghanistan.
in the United Kingdom (75%), France (67%), Switzerland (87%),
Czech Republic (64%), Lithuania (83%), Panama (80%) and Mexico
(94%).[419][420]
An Ipsos-Reid poll conducted between November and December 2001 showed that majorities in Canada
(66%), France (60%), Germany (60%), Italy (58%), and the UK (65%) approved of US airstrikes while
majorities in Argentina (77%), China (52%), South Korea (50%), Spain (52%), and Turkey (70%) opposed
them.[421]

Development of public opinion

In a 47-nation June 2007 survey of global public opinion, the Pew


Global Attitudes Project found international opposition to the war.
Out of the 47 countries surveyed, 4 had a majority that favored
keeping foreign troops: the US (50%), Israel (59%), Ghana (50%),
and Kenya (60%). In 41, pluralities wanted NATO troops out as soon
as possible.[409] In 32 out of 47, clear majorities wanted war over as
22 June 2007 demonstration in
soon as possible. Majorities in 7 out of 12 NATO member countries
Québec City against the Canadian said troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible.[409][422]
military involvement in Afghanistan
A 24-nation Pew Global Attitudes survey in June 2008 similarly
found that majorities or pluralities in 21 of 24 countries want the US
and NATO to remove their troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible. Only in three out of the 24 countries
—the US (50%), Australia (60%), and Britain (48%)—did public opinion lean more toward keeping troops
there until the situation has stabilized.[423][424]

Following that June 2008 global survey, however, public opinion in


Australia and Britain diverged from that in the US. A majority of
Australians and Britons now want their troops home. A September
2008 poll found that 56% of Australians opposed continuation of their
country's military involvement.[414][426][427] A November 2008 poll
found that 68% of Britons wanted their troops withdrawn within the
next 12 months.[413][428][429]

In the US, a September 2008 Pew survey found that 61% of


Americans wanted US troops to stay until the situation has stabilized,
while 33% wanted them removed as soon as possible.[430] Public
opinion was divided over Afghan troop requests: a majority of Number of fatalities among Western
coalition soldiers involved in the
Americans continued to see a rationale for the use of military force in
execution of Operation Enduring
Afghanistan.[431] A slight plurality of Americans favored troop
Freedom from 2001 to 2019.[425]
increases, with 42%–47% favoring some troop increases, 39%–44%
wanting reduction, and 7–9% wanting no changes. Just 29% of
Democrats favored troop increases while 57% wanted to begin
reducing troops. Only 36% of Americans approved of Obama's
handling of Afghanistan, including 19% of Republicans, 31% of
independents, and 54% of Democrats.[432]

In a December 2009 Pew Research Center poll, only 32% of


Americans favored increasing US troops in Afghanistan, while 40%
favored decreasing them. Almost half of Americans, 49%, believed
that the US should "mind its own business" internationally and let
other countries get along the best they can. That figure was an Canadian Forces personnel carry the
casket of a fallen comrade onto an
increase from 30% who said that in December 2002.[433]
aircraft at Kandahar Air Field, 17 July
2009
An April 2011 Pew Research Center poll showed little change in American views, with about 50% saying that
the effort was going very well or fairly well and only 44% supporting NATO troop presence in
Afghanistan.[434]

Protests, demonstrations and rallies

The war has been the subject of large protests around the world starting with the large-scale demonstrations in
the days leading up to the invasion and every year since. Many protesters consider the bombing and invasion
of Afghanistan to be unjustified aggression.[435] The deaths of Afghan civilians caused directly and indirectly
by the US and NATO bombing campaigns is a major underlying focus of the protests.[436] In January 2009,
Brave New Foundation launched Rethink Afghanistan, a national campaign for non-violent solutions in
Afghanistan built around a documentary film by director and political activist Robert Greenwald.[437] Dozens
of organizations planned (and eventually held) a national march for peace in Washington, D.C. on 20 March
2010.[438][439]

See also
Afghanistan Papers
Afghan War documents leak
2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests
Afghanistan–United States relations
Criticism of the War on Terror
Ethnic conflict
List of Afghanistan War (2001–present) documentaries
List of aviation accidents and incidents in the war in Afghanistan
List of military operations in the war in Afghanistan (2001–present)
List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
NATO logistics in the Afghan War
Opposition to the war in Afghanistan (2001–present)
U.S. government response to the September 11 attacks
U.S.–Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement
Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan (2011–2016)
Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan (2021)
Iraq War

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Sources
Coll, Steve (2004). Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden,
from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (https://archive.org/details/ghostwarssecreth00
coll). Penguin. ISBN 978-1-59420-007-6.
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War in Afghanistan (3 August 2011 ed.). Chelsea Green Publishing. p. 416.
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United States" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100211154714/http://www.9-
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Risen, James (4 September 2008). State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush
Administration (https://books.google.com/books?id=xBFbzzGg71cC). Simon & Schuster UK.
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Auerswald, David P. & Stephen M. Saideman, eds. NATO in Afghanistan: Fighting Together,
Fighting Alone (Princeton U.P. 2014) This book breaks down the history of the US effort in
Afghanistan down by deployed commander. Also useful in this fashion are Kaplan, "The
Insurgents", and "A Different Kind of War."
Mikulaschek, Christoph and Jacob Shapiro. (2018). Lessons on Political Violence from
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Transatlantic Studies (2021): 1-29 online (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s42738-021-
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14152935/http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/Afghanistan/Operation%20Enduring%20Freed
om.htm). BG John S. Brown. United States Army. p. 46. Archived from the original (http://www.hi
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Further reading
Bose, Srinjoy, ed. Afghanistan – Challenges and Prospects (Routledge, 2018).
Malkasian, Carter. The American War in Afghanistan: A History (2021)
"US War in Afghanistan" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150302014738/http://www.cfr.org/afgh
anistan/us-war-afghanistan/p20018). Council on Foreign Relations. 2014. Archived from the
original (http://www.cfr.org/afghanistan/us-war-afghanistan/p20018) on 2 March 2015.
Robert Gates, Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 2014.
Thomas Powers, "The War without End" (review of Steve Coll, Directorate S: The CIA and
America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Penguin, 2018, 757 pp.), The New York
Review of Books, vol. LXV, no. 7 (19 April 2018), pp. 42–43. "Forty-plus years after our failure
in Vietnam, the United States is again fighting an endless war in a faraway place against a
culture and a people we don't understand for political reasons that make sense in Washington,
but nowhere else." (p. 43.)

External links
Media related to War in Afghanistan (2001–14) at Wikimedia Commons
Afghanistan profile – A chronology of key events (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia
-12024253) as provided by BBC
75,000 documents on Wikileaks (https://wardiary.wikileaks.org/)

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