Operation enduring freedom

Photo Details / Download Hi-Res • Mobility Airmen continue peak pace for Operation Enduring Freedom Air Force loadmasters assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron conduct an airdrop from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Sept. 2, 2009, over the southern region of Afghanistan. Pallets are being airdropped to provide needed supplies to ground personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller) After the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, the United States government determined to respond with force against those responsible. Additionally, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) invoked the "mutual defense clause" for the first time in its history in response to the attacks. Other countries, including Russia and Pakistan, pledged support. The strategy pursued by the United States and its coalition partners centered on overthrowing Afghanistan's Taliban government and destroying the al-Qaeda terrorist group the Taliban harbored. The United States reserved to right to engage in combat operations against any terrorist group that had the "reach" to harm the United States. Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF),the air component to United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and under the command of Lieutenant General Charles F. Wald, was responsible for the air campaign during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. CENTAF's primarycommand and control organization was the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC), located at Prince Sultan Air Ba...

Investigators determined the 9/11 attacks—in which terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the In an address on September 20, 2001, On October 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces launched Shift to Reconstruction During While approximately 8,000 American troops remained in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) overseen by NATO, the U.S. military focus turned to Iraq in 2003, the same year U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld A new constitution was soon enacted and Afghanistan held its first democratic elections since the onset of the war on October 9, 2004, with Karzai, who went on to serve two five-year terms, winning the vote for president. The ISAF’s focus shifted to peacekeeping and reconstruction, but with the United States fighting a war in Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and attacks escalated. Troop Surge Under Obama In a In November 2010, NATO countries agreed to a transition of power to local Afghan security forces by the end of 2014, and, on May 2, 2011, following 10-year manhunt, U.S. Navy SEALs President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011, Washington, D.C. Following bin Laden's death, a decade into the war and facing calls from both lawmakers and the public to end the war, Obama released a plan to withdraw 33,000 U....

The Soviet army in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 31, 1979. Francois Lochon/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images The collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's recapture of power came after a blitz by the militant group that stunned many Afghans and the world. It is the latest chapter in the country's nearly 42 years of instability and bitter conflict. Afghans have lived through foreign invasions, civil war, insurgency and a previous period of oppressive Taliban rule. Here are some key events and dates from the past four decades. The Soviet war years December 1979 Following upheaval after a 1978 Afghan coup, the Soviet military invades Afghanistan to prop up a pro-Soviet government. 1980 Babrak Karmal is installed as Afghanistan's Soviet-backed ruler. Groups of guerrilla fighters known as mujahideen or holy warriors mount opposition and a jihad against Soviet forces. The ensuing war leaves about 1 million Afghan civilians and some 15,000 Soviet soldiers dead. Millions of Afghans begin fleeing to neighboring Pakistan as refugees. The U.S., which had The last Soviet to leave Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov, walks with his son on the bridge linking Afghanistan to Uzbekistan over the Amu Darya River. The Soviet commander crossed from the Afghan town of Khairaton. Tass/AP The last Soviet soldier leaves Afghanistan. The 1990s to 2001: Civil war followed by Taliban rule 1992 Following the withdrawal of Soviet forces and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Najibullah's pro-comm...

• العربية • Asturianu • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Башҡортса • Беларуская • Български • Brezhoneg • Català • Čeština • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ქართული • Latviešu • Lietuvių • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • Bahasa Melayu • Монгол • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Occitan • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • پنجابی • پښتو • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Sardu • Scots • Shqip • Sicilianu • Simple English • Slovenčina • Soomaaliga • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 List • • † • • † • • • • • • † • • † • • • • † • Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman • † • † • Abu Saad Erhabi † • Abdullah Orokzai( POW) • † • • Dawood Ahmad Sofi † • Mohamed Zahran † • Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi † Strength 130,000 (2012) 352,000 (2014) ~17,000 (2021) Military contractors: 20,000+ High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: 3,000–3,500 4,000 (2015) 60,000 (tentative estimate, 2014) • 4,000–15,000 (2009) 1,500–2,000+ (2014) ~300 in 2016 3,000 in 2001) 8,000 (2013) ISIL–KP: 3,500–4,000 (2018, in Afghanistan) Casualties and losses 66,000–69,095 killed Northern Alliance: 200 killed Dead: 3,579 • United States:20,713 • United Kingdom:2,188 • Canada:635 Dead: 3,917 Wounded: 15,000+ Total killed: 76,591 52,893 killed 2,400+ killed Civilians kil...

Photo Details / Download Hi-Res • Mobility Airmen continue peak pace for Operation Enduring Freedom Air Force loadmasters assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron conduct an airdrop from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Sept. 2, 2009, over the southern region of Afghanistan. Pallets are being airdropped to provide needed supplies to ground personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller) After the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, the United States government determined to respond with force against those responsible. Additionally, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) invoked the "mutual defense clause" for the first time in its history in response to the attacks. Other countries, including Russia and Pakistan, pledged support. The strategy pursued by the United States and its coalition partners centered on overthrowing Afghanistan's Taliban government and destroying the al-Qaeda terrorist group the Taliban harbored. The United States reserved to right to engage in combat operations against any terrorist group that had the "reach" to harm the United States. Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF),the air component to United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and under the command of Lieutenant General Charles F. Wald, was responsible for the air campaign during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. CENTAF's primarycommand and control organization was the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC), located at Prince Sultan Air Ba...

• العربية • Asturianu • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Башҡортса • Беларуская • Български • Brezhoneg • Català • Čeština • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ქართული • Latviešu • Lietuvių • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • Bahasa Melayu • Монгол • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Occitan • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • پنجابی • پښتو • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Sardu • Scots • Shqip • Sicilianu • Simple English • Slovenčina • Soomaaliga • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 List • • † • • † • • • • • • † • • † • • • • † • Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman • † • † • Abu Saad Erhabi † • Abdullah Orokzai( POW) • † • • Dawood Ahmad Sofi † • Mohamed Zahran † • Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi † Strength 130,000 (2012) 352,000 (2014) ~17,000 (2021) Military contractors: 20,000+ High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: 3,000–3,500 4,000 (2015) 60,000 (tentative estimate, 2014) • 4,000–15,000 (2009) 1,500–2,000+ (2014) ~300 in 2016 3,000 in 2001) 8,000 (2013) ISIL–KP: 3,500–4,000 (2018, in Afghanistan) Casualties and losses 66,000–69,095 killed Northern Alliance: 200 killed Dead: 3,579 • United States:20,713 • United Kingdom:2,188 • Canada:635 Dead: 3,917 Wounded: 15,000+ Total killed: 76,591 52,893 killed 2,400+ killed Civilians kil...

Investigators determined the 9/11 attacks—in which terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the In an address on September 20, 2001, On October 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces launched Shift to Reconstruction During While approximately 8,000 American troops remained in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) overseen by NATO, the U.S. military focus turned to Iraq in 2003, the same year U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld A new constitution was soon enacted and Afghanistan held its first democratic elections since the onset of the war on October 9, 2004, with Karzai, who went on to serve two five-year terms, winning the vote for president. The ISAF’s focus shifted to peacekeeping and reconstruction, but with the United States fighting a war in Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and attacks escalated. Troop Surge Under Obama In a In November 2010, NATO countries agreed to a transition of power to local Afghan security forces by the end of 2014, and, on May 2, 2011, following 10-year manhunt, U.S. Navy SEALs President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011, Washington, D.C. Following bin Laden's death, a decade into the war and facing calls from both lawmakers and the public to end the war, Obama released a plan to withdraw 33,000 U....

The Soviet army in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 31, 1979. Francois Lochon/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images The collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's recapture of power came after a blitz by the militant group that stunned many Afghans and the world. It is the latest chapter in the country's nearly 42 years of instability and bitter conflict. Afghans have lived through foreign invasions, civil war, insurgency and a previous period of oppressive Taliban rule. Here are some key events and dates from the past four decades. The Soviet war years December 1979 Following upheaval after a 1978 Afghan coup, the Soviet military invades Afghanistan to prop up a pro-Soviet government. 1980 Babrak Karmal is installed as Afghanistan's Soviet-backed ruler. Groups of guerrilla fighters known as mujahideen or holy warriors mount opposition and a jihad against Soviet forces. The ensuing war leaves about 1 million Afghan civilians and some 15,000 Soviet soldiers dead. Millions of Afghans begin fleeing to neighboring Pakistan as refugees. The U.S., which had The last Soviet to leave Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov, walks with his son on the bridge linking Afghanistan to Uzbekistan over the Amu Darya River. The Soviet commander crossed from the Afghan town of Khairaton. Tass/AP The last Soviet soldier leaves Afghanistan. The 1990s to 2001: Civil war followed by Taliban rule 1992 Following the withdrawal of Soviet forces and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Najibullah's pro-comm...

Investigators determined the 9/11 attacks—in which terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the In an address on September 20, 2001, On October 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces launched Shift to Reconstruction During While approximately 8,000 American troops remained in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) overseen by NATO, the U.S. military focus turned to Iraq in 2003, the same year U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld A new constitution was soon enacted and Afghanistan held its first democratic elections since the onset of the war on October 9, 2004, with Karzai, who went on to serve two five-year terms, winning the vote for president. The ISAF’s focus shifted to peacekeeping and reconstruction, but with the United States fighting a war in Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and attacks escalated. Troop Surge Under Obama In a In November 2010, NATO countries agreed to a transition of power to local Afghan security forces by the end of 2014, and, on May 2, 2011, following 10-year manhunt, U.S. Navy SEALs President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011, Washington, D.C. Following bin Laden's death, a decade into the war and facing calls from both lawmakers and the public to end the war, Obama released a plan to withdraw 33,000 U....

• العربية • Asturianu • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Башҡортса • Беларуская • Български • Brezhoneg • Català • Čeština • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ქართული • Latviešu • Lietuvių • Magyar • Македонски • മലയാളം • Bahasa Melayu • Монгол • Nederlands • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Occitan • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • پنجابی • پښتو • Polski • Português • Română • Русский • Sardu • Scots • Shqip • Sicilianu • Simple English • Slovenčina • Soomaaliga • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • اردو • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 粵語 • 中文 List • • † • • † • • • • • • † • • † • • • • † • Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman • † • † • Abu Saad Erhabi † • Abdullah Orokzai( POW) • † • • Dawood Ahmad Sofi † • Mohamed Zahran † • Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi † Strength 130,000 (2012) 352,000 (2014) ~17,000 (2021) Military contractors: 20,000+ High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: 3,000–3,500 4,000 (2015) 60,000 (tentative estimate, 2014) • 4,000–15,000 (2009) 1,500–2,000+ (2014) ~300 in 2016 3,000 in 2001) 8,000 (2013) ISIL–KP: 3,500–4,000 (2018, in Afghanistan) Casualties and losses 66,000–69,095 killed Northern Alliance: 200 killed Dead: 3,579 • United States:20,713 • United Kingdom:2,188 • Canada:635 Dead: 3,917 Wounded: 15,000+ Total killed: 76,591 52,893 killed 2,400+ killed Civilians kil...