War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

The War in Afghanistan was a war fought by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, The Netherlands, Australia and other countries against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, after the September 11 attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.^[63]

"War in Afghanistan" redirects here. For the earlier war, see Soviet war in Afghanistan.

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Part of the Global War on Terrorism, and the continuous Afghanistan conflict
Taliban fighters in 2021
Date 7 October 2001 – 30 August 2021 Operation Enduring Freedom: 7 October 2001 – 28 December 2014 Operation Freedom's Sentinel: 1 January 2015 – 15 August 2021 Location Afghanistan Result Taliban victory[1] Establishment of the Panjshir resistance and start of the Panjshir conflict Taliban states aim to form all-inclusive government under the banner of the re-established Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Belligerents
Invasion (2001): Northern Alliance  United States  United Kingdom  Canada  Australia  Italy  New Zealand[2]  Germany[3]	Invasion (2001): Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan[4] al-Qaeda 055 Brigade[5][6] IMU[7] TNSM[8] ETIM[9]
ISAF/RS phase:  Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (2002–2004)  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004-2021) ISAF (2001–2015)  United States  United Kingdom  Canada  Australia  Italy  Germany  Georgia  Jordan  Turkey  Bulgaria  Poland  Romania  Spain  Czech Republic  North Macedonia  Denmark  Armenia  Azerbaijan  Finland  France  Croatia  Hungary  Norway  Lithuania  Mongolia  UAE  Belgium  Portugal  Slovakia  Netherlands  Montenegro  Latvia  Sweden  Albania  Ukraine  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Greece  Ireland  Iceland  Estonia  Malaysia  Slovenia  Austria   Switzerland  Bahrain  El Salvador  Luxembourg  New Zealand  South Korea  Tonga  Singapore Resolute Support (2015–2021) (36 countries)[10]	ISAF/RS phase: Taliban Islamic Jihad Union[11] Haqqani network[12] (from 2002) al-Qaeda (al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)[13] Taliban splinter groups Fidai Mahaz (from 2013) Mullah Dadullah Front (from 2012)[14] IEHCA loyal to Muhammad Rasul (from 2015)[15][16] Supported by: Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (until 2016) Islamic Jihad Union[17] (from 2002) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (until 2015) Turkistan Islamic Party Lashkar-e-Jhangvi[18] Pakistani Taliban[19] Lashkar-e-Islam  Iran (alleged; until 2021)[20][21][22]  Russia (alleged by the U.S., but denied by Russia)[23]  Pakistan (alleged, but denied by Pakistan)[24][25]  Saudi Arabia (alleged, but denied by Saudi Arabia)[26]  China (alleged by the U.S., but denied by China)[27]	RS phase (2015–2021): ISIL–KP[28] IMU[29]
Commanders and leaders
Ashraf Ghani Joe Biden Boris Johnson Scott Morrison Mario Draghi Angela Merkel Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. John F. Campbell Former Hamid Karzai Gerhard Schröder Silvio Berlusconi Romano Prodi Mario Monti Enrico Letta Matteo Renzi Paolo Gentiloni Giuseppe Conte Tony Blair Gordon Brown David Cameron 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 List of former RS Commanders	Mohammed Omar # Akhtar Mansoor † Jalaluddin Haqqani #[30] Obaidullah Akhund †[31] Dadullah Akhund †[31] Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Osama bin Laden † Ayman al-Zawahiri Asim Umar † Haji Najibullah[32]	Shahab al-Muhajir [33] Hafiz Saeed Khan † Mawlavi Habib Ur Rahman[34] Abdul Haseeb Logari † Abdul Rahman Ghaleb † Abu Saad Erhabi † Abdullah Orokzai  (POW) Qari Hekmat † Mufti Nemat  Dawood Ahmad Sofi † Mohamed Zahran † Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi †
Strength
Afghan National Security Forces: 352,000[35] Resolute Support Mission: ~17,000[36] Military Contractors: 20,000+[37]	Taliban: 60,000 (tentative estimate)[38] Haqqani network: 4,000–15,000[39][40][41] HIG: 1,500–2,000+[42] al-Qaeda: ~300[43][44][45] (~ 3,000 in 2001)[43] IEHCA: 3,000–3,500[16] Fidai Mahaz: 8,000[32]	ISIL–KP: 3,500–4,000 (2018, in Afghanistan)[46]
Casualties and losses
Afghan security forces: 67,558–70,558+ killed[47][48] Northern Alliance: 200 killed[49][50][51][52][53] Coalition: Dead: 3,576 United States: 2,420 United Kingdom: 456[54] Canada: 159 France: 89 Germany: 62 Italy: 53 Others: 337 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+	51,191+ killed[47] (2,000+ al-Qaeda fighters)[43]	ISIL–KP: 2,400+ killed[28]
Civilians killed: 47,960+[47] Total killed: 212,191+ (per UCDP)[60]
a The continued list includes nations who have contributed fewer than 200 troops as of November 2014.[61] b The continued list includes nations who have contributed fewer than 200 troops as of May 2017.[62]

Clockwise from top: A U.S. Air Force warplane dropping a JDAM on a cave in eastern Afghanistan; US soldiers in a firefight with Taliban forces in Kunar Province; An Afghan National Army soldier surveying atop a Humvee; Afghan and US 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.

UK and US forces in Afghanistan in 2006

On 31 August 2021 (local time), the war ended as the last coalition soldiers (from foreign countries), left Afghanistan.^[64][65]

History

The war started when the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001.^[66] The US and its allies forced the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to hide in the mountains. In December 2001, the US and its allies founded a new government for Afghanistan. Its president was Hamid Karzai.

By February 2002, 5,000 soldiers from ISAF (or International Security Assistance Force) were in Afghanistan.^[67] That military force was led by United States. ISAF's soldiers were on loan from the militaries of NATO countries and allied countries. In 2012 ISAF was at its maximum: 130,000 soldiers (in Afghanistan).^[68]

In 2004 Hamid Karzai started as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.^[69] Even though the Taliban had lost power, they formed a "shadow government". Taliban insurgents, or fighters, controlled many parts of Afghanistan, and enforced their own laws.^[70]

Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan, May 2011.

British troops left Afghanistan in 2015, after 5 years of training the Afghanistan police to deal with threats from the Taliban.^[71]

After security deteriorated, American soldiers returned and over 10,000 were in the country at the end of 2017. In 2020, the US and NATO allies promised to leave Afghanistan as long as the Taliban agreed to certain things: not allowing terrorists to operate in its area, and starting peace talks with the Afghanistan government.^[72] In mid-2021, the Taliban began a military offensive to enlarge their territory as US and allied forces began to leave. By August 15, 2021, the Taliban had recaptured Kabul and defeated the Afghan government.^[73]

An anti-Taliban front took control of the Panjshir Valley, in August 2021 but lost control later that year due to the Taliban sending its forces.^[74][75]

During the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan, over 150,000 people chose to be taken out of Afghanistan; They were diplomats, other civilian staff, other civilians, and military staff.^[76][77]

The last military airplanes of the United States, left the airport in Kabul, one minute before 31 August 2021.^[78]

On 31 August 2021 (local time), the war ended.^[64]

Deaths and injuries

More than 15,000 Coalition soldiers were wounded: 6,773 US,^[79] 3,954 UK,^[80][81] 1,500 Canadian^[82] and over 2,500 other Coalition soldiers. 5,500 Afghan army soldiers and 200 Northern Alliance militants were killed in this war. 378 US civilian contractors were killed and 7,224.

Gallery

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  Taliban fighters in 2021.
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  ISAF soldiers on loan from the Romanian Land Forces between Kandahar and Kabul in 2003
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  A soldier of the Afghan National Army in Kandahar Province in 2008
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  ISAF soldiers on loan from the Czech Republic's army in Logar Province in 2009
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  ISAF soldiers on loan from Germany's Bundeswehr near Mazar-i-Sharif in 2009
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  A howitzer of the Royal Netherlands Army in 2009
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  A helicopter of Britain's Royal Air Force in Helmand Province in 2015
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  Aeroplanes of the Afghan Air Force above Kabul in 2016