War In Afghanistan

Osama bin Laden—

Planned 9/11 attacks. He was Saudi

Arabian.

Osama bin Laden was killed by US

forces in Pakistan on May 1, 2011.

AfghanistanBackground

• Once controlled by Persians and Mongols

• In 19th century, British and Russia tried to control

• Independence from Britain in 1919, ruled by kings until 1973

• Republic (unstable) until 1978

Capital is Kabul

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan• Dec. 1979—Soviets

invaded to establish/ support communist government –never established firm control

Continued upheaval

• Rebels called mujahideen, backed by the US, fought against the communists

• Soviets left in 1988; civil war continued• Mujahideen organized into Taliban,

controlled country from 1994-2001

Al Qaeda• Terrorist organization

supported by Osama bin Laden, responsible for 9/11 attacks

• International, with no central headquarters

Taliban• Oppressive

government of Afghanistan until 2001; theocracy (government run by religious leaders);

• Allowed bin Laden and Al Qaeda to operate in Afghanistan

Terrorist Attacks 1972-2001Munich Olympics (1972) Palestinian terrorists

entered Israeli athletes’ barracks; killed two, and took 9 hostages. All nine were eventually killed.

US Embassy, Iran (1979) Islamic revolutionaries, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, attacked US embassy. They kept 52 hostages for 444 days.

World Trade Center bombing (1993) Bomb in parking garage of WTC, 6 people killed

U.S. Embassy Attacks in Kenya & Tanzania (1998) Bombs went off at embassies within 15 minutes of each other; planned by Osama bin Laden

U.S.S. Cole (2000) US Navy ship was attacked in Yemen, 17 sailors killed; planned by Al Qaeda under direction of Osama bin Laden

9/11/01

Four planes were hijacked in U.S.

Two crashed into the World Trade Center, causing the Twin Towers to collapse.

The World Trade Center was a symbol of American wealth and power.

One plane

crashed

into the

Pentagon,

the head-

quarters of

the U.S.

military.

Flight 93

One plane crashed in a field

in Pennsylvania when the passengers fought back against the terrorists.

Operation Enduring Freedom

War in Afghanistan US, with UN support, attacked because of the terrorist training camps run by bin Laden and allowed by the Afghan government; the Taliban had allowed 9/11 terrorists to organize

Operation Enduring Freedom

The Taliban was overthrown and a new democratic government established.

Hamid Karzai was elected and re-elected president of Afghanistan, but he has been widely suspected of supporting corruption.

April/June 2014 elections: Karzai ineligible to run; no clear winner yet; future is not clear, and there are worries about an imminent coup d’etat

Why are we still at war in Afghanistan?• To help support elected Afghan government

until it is strong enough to provide security alone

• To fight insurgents (rebels or terrorists?) who are trying to overthrow the elected government; insurgents include members of the Taliban

Current Issues in Afghanistan

• US troops are scheduled to be withdrawn this year, from 29000 to 9,800 in 2015, to 4,900 in 2016, to just advisers after that

• Recently, increasing instances of attacks on US troops by people within ranks of Afghan military or police.

• 2341 US troops have died in Afghanistan as of Wednesday, 8/20/14.