It has come to my attention that there seems to be much less general knowledge about the war in Afghanistan than the war in Iraq. People seem to keep up with the war in Iraq while neglecting to learn about what is happening in Afghanistan. Therefore, I would like to offer a short recap of what has transpired there thus far in the war.
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001. It was a response to the attacks of 9/11 on the United States. Initially, only the United States and the United Kingdom were involved. This war marked the beginning of the Bush administrations war on terror. The stated purpose of this war was to capture Osama bin Laden while destroying al-Qaeda. The United States also sought to remove the Taliban regime because of the support they were giving to al-Qaeda.
The United States and UK led aerial bombing campaigns while utilizing ground forces from the Afghan Northern Alliance. In 2002, the Canadian infantry was sent to help the US and UK infantry. At this time, the United States began deploying Special Forces to aid in the destruction of terrorist regimes. Eventually NATO troops were sent to Afghanistan.
The war has not been as easily accomplished as onlookers had initially hoped for. Tracking and capturing terrorists has proven to be a formidable task in the mountainous regions of the land. However, bombing raids have taken a toll on the enemy forces.
It is important to remember that though we have not put a stop to the terrorist regimes that attacked the United States on 9/11, we have made an effort to do so. The beautiful thing about such an operation as Operation Enduring Freedom is that each and every day we come closer to finding and eradicating terrorist threats.
