How America's response to 9/11 led straight back to the Taliban in Afghanistan
The September 11, 2001 attacks changed a lot for the world. But most importantly, it changed the way the United States was perceived in the world.
On September 11, 2001, the United States endured the deadliest terrorist attack in history when al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into landmarks, killing nearly 3,000 people. In response, President George W. Bush declared a "war on terror" and launched "Operation Enduring Freedom" to dismantle al-Qaeda and overthrow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
The US led a coalition of allies, including the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the UAE, and India, in military support. By 2004, a US-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was established.
However, the Taliban began to regroup and intensify their attacks on Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan. Despite initial tactical victories for the US-led coalition, the group continued to gain ground. In 2008, the Taliban strengthened further following a jailbreak in Kandahar that freed hundreds of its fighters. Tensions with Pakistan escalated when the Taliban severed ties with al-Qaeda, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
The US' war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq led to a severe economic crisis and decreased public support for President Bush.
Under Barack Obama, US troop numbers in Afghanistan gradually increased to counter the insurgency. Secret talks between the US and Taliban leadership began in late 2010, though they ultimately proved unproductive. In May 2011, President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden in a CIA raid in Pakistan, marking a significant achievement in the fight against al-Qaeda. Despite this, the Taliban continued its attacks across Afghanistan in an effort to reclaim territory, showing that the conflict had far from ended.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
