7 oct. 2001 - The War in Afghanistan begins

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The War in Afghanistan began on 7th October 2001, when the United States, backed by the United Kingdom and an international coalition, launched Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had been in power since 1996, was targeted because it was believed to be harbouring Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, the group responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The initial aim of the U.S. invasion was to dismantle al-Qaeda and deny it a safe base of operations in Afghanistan by removing the Taliban from power.

The operation began with an aerial bombing campaign. The U.S. and its allies targeted Taliban military and communications facilities, as well as training camps for al-Qaeda. The Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban resistance fighters within Afghanistan, were supported by the international coalition with air support, military equipment, and Special Forces advisers. By 13th November 2001, the Taliban's rule was officially over when the Northern Alliance captured Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan.

However, despite this early success, the war would continue for many years as coalition forces faced ongoing insurgency from the Taliban, who regrouped in rural areas and across the border in Pakistan. The U.S. war in Afghanistan would become the longest military conflict in its history, lasting until the withdrawal of U.S. troops in August 2021.

Coinciding with the withdrawal of troops, the Taliban launched a broad offensive throughout the summer, successfully reestablishing their control over the country including Kabul on 15th August. On the same day, the last President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, fled to the United Arab Emirates; the Taliban declared victory and the war was formally brought to a close.

An estimated 176,000–212,000+ people died in the war. Although 5.7 million former refugees returned to Afghanistan after the 2001 invasion, by the time the Taliban returned to power in 2021, some 2.6 million Afghans remained refugees, while another 4 million were internally displaced.

In terms of the economic costs, Brown University's Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs estimated the total cost of the war in Afghanistan to the United States to be over $2.2 trillion – not only including the direct costs of the military operation but also the related increases in the Department of Defense's base budget, spending on veterans' care, and interest on borrowing for the war.

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