Afghanistan War

Operation Enduring Freedom

The terrorist network known as al Qaeda was found responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The George W. Bush administration then decided to destroy al Qaeda's safe havens in Afghanistan; capture its leader, Osama bin Laden, “dead or alive;” and punish the Taliban regime for hosting the organization within its borders. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), initially termed Operation Infinite Justice, was launched October 7, 2001, with aerial bombardments and cruise missile attacks on Taliban positions. The U.S. forces on the ground consisted of about 350 Army Special Forces and about 100 CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) officers. These forces had begun entering Afghanistan soon after the Bush administration's “War Cabinet” had decided to attack. Their main tasks were to support the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance and to pinpoint the Taliban positions for bombardment. The Northern Alliance, or the “United Front,” as they called themselves, was an umbrella organization formed after the Taliban captured Kabul in September 1996. Its main component was the former government, which had relocated to the north and was still the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan. It was joined by some of its former rivals—who were also against the Taliban—in the northern, central, and eastern parts of the country. Some 15,000 troops from the Northern Alliance were the main ground force in the initial stage of OEF.

The first major victory against the Taliban was achieved on November 9, 2001, when the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the largest city in the north, was captured by the Northern Alliance forces. Kabul, the capital, followed soon after, falling to the Northern Alliance on November 13. The city of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban in the south, was their last stronghold, but they were force to surrender it on December 7. The Battle of Tora Bora followed soon after the fall of Kandahar. It became well known as a near miss in the quest to capture Osama bin Laden. The Tora Bora mountain cave complex is located in eastern Afghanistan, not very far from the border with Pakistan. al Qaeda fighters, including bin Laden, took shelter there after running away from areas conquered by pro-American forces. The Tora Bora battle was carried out by Afghan militias, who were supported by the Special Forces and intelligence officers of the United States and its allies, which also provided aerial bombardment. Either due to negligence or some secret deals, however, bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders managed to escape the siege.

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