WarThe United States in the Twenty-First Century
War in Afghanistan
America’s longest war, 2001–2021
October 7, 2001 – August 2021Afghanistan and the Pakistan border region
After the September 11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda and topple the Taliban government that sheltered it. Kabul fell within weeks, but Osama bin Laden escaped, and the Taliban regrouped. For twenty years American and NATO forces fought an insurgency while trying to build a stable Afghan government. U.S. forces killed bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011. When the last American troops withdrew hastily in August 2021, the Taliban immediately retook the country. It was the longest war in American history.
Key facts
- Date
- October 7, 2001 – August 2021
- Location
- Afghanistan and the Pakistan border region
- Dating note
- Began October 7, 2001; U.S. forces withdrew in August 2021.
- Began
- October 7, 2001 (Operation Enduring Freedom)
- Kabul taken
- November 13, 2001
- Surge
- 2009: 17,000 additional U.S. troops
- Bin Laden killed
- May 2011, in a raid in Pakistan
- Withdrawal
- August 2021; the Taliban returned to power
Why it matters
Afghanistan, America’s longest war, showed both the reach of U.S. military power and its limits in remaking another society.
Who fought
The United States and NATO allies, with the Afghan Northern Alliance and later the new Afghan government, fought the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Political background
During the 1980s the United States armed the Mujahideen resisting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Osama bin Laden also fought with them. After the Soviets withdrew in 1989, civil war followed, and the Taliban took power in 1996 and sheltered al-Qaeda.
Major phases
Invasion (2001). On October 7, 2001, U.S. air and missile strikes hit targets across Afghanistan, and Special Forces joined anti-Taliban Northern Alliance fighters. Major cities fell quickly, and Kabul fell on November 13. Bin Laden and al-Qaeda fighters escaped into the mountains along the Pakistani border.
Nation-building and insurgency (2002–2008). The mission shifted to building a democratically elected Afghan government. With U.S. attention focused on Iraq, the Taliban reemerged by 2006, as the Afghan government proved corrupt and unable to provide security.
Surge and bin Laden (2009–2014). President Obama sent 17,000 more troops in 2009 to “disrupt, dismantle, and defeat” al-Qaeda and the Taliban. In May 2011 Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in Pakistan. The United States and NATO began a phased withdrawal of combat troops.
Withdrawal (2021). U.S. money and troops continued to prop up the Afghan government until American forces withdrew in August 2021.
Turning points
- The fall of Kabul (November 2001): toppled the Taliban but let al-Qaeda’s leaders escape.
- The shift to Iraq (2003): drew U.S. resources away as the Taliban regrouped.
- Bin Laden’s death (2011): fulfilled a central goal and opened the way to drawdown.
Outcome
The Taliban took over the country immediately after U.S. forces left in August 2021, outlasting a twenty-year American occupation.
Consequences for American society
The war’s end, with the Taliban back in power, raised hard questions about the limits of military power and nation-building.
Study this entry
Check your understanding
Try answering in your own words, then open the answer.
1.Why did the war begin?Show answerHide
During the 1980s the United States armed the Mujahideen resisting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Osama bin Laden also fought with them. After the Soviets withdrew in 1989, civil war followed, and the Taliban took power in 1996 and sheltered al-Qaeda.From “Political background” above.
2.What were the turning points?Show answerHide
- The fall of Kabul (November 2001): toppled the Taliban but let al-Qaeda’s leaders escape. - The shift to Iraq (2003): drew U.S. resources away as the Taliban regrouped. - Bin Laden’s death (2011): fulfilled a central goal and opened the way to drawdown.From “Turning points” above.
3.How did it end?Show answerHide
The Taliban took over the country immediately after U.S. forces left in August 2021, outlasting a twenty-year American occupation.From “Outcome” above.
4.How did it change American society?Show answerHide
The war’s end, with the Taliban back in power, raised hard questions about the limits of military power and nation-building.From “Consequences for American society” above.
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Related History
How this connects to the rest of the atlas.
Wars
People
Sources
- 1.The American Yawp, “The Recent Past”
The American Yawp (eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright; Stanford University Press) · Scholarly · cited for 1990s, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Great Recession, Obama, pandemic
- 2.George W. Bush: Life in Brief
Miller Center, University of Virginia · Scholarly · cited for Bush presidency, 9/11, wars
- 3.Barack Obama: Life in Brief
Miller Center, University of Virginia (Michael Nelson) · Scholarly · cited for life and presidency
Image credits
- US soldiers on horseback 2001 Afghanistan, Master Sgt. Chris Spence, FOB-53/U.S. Army, United States Special Operations Command, 2001-10. Via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source
Written for American History Atlas from the sources above. See how entries are researched.
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