U.s. Plans to Beef Up Afghanistan Role
An Al-Qaeda, Taliban Nexus
The Un Security Council adopts Resolution 1267, creating the then-called al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, which links the ii groups as terrorist entities and imposes sanctions on their funding, travel, and artillery shipments. The Un move follows a period of ascendancy for al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, who guided the terror group from Afghanistan and Peshawar, Islamic republic of pakistan, in the late 1980s, to Sudan in 1991, and back to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. The Taliban, which rose from the ashes of Afghanistan's post-Soviet civil state of war, provide al-Qaeda sanctuary for operations.
A Northern Alliance Assassination
Ahmad Shah Massoud, commander of the Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban coalition, is assassinated by al-Qaeda operatives. The killing of Massoud, a master of guerilla warfare known every bit the Lion of the Panjshir, deals a serious accident to the anti-Taliban resistance. Terrorism experts believe his assassination assured bin Laden protection by the Taliban afterwards the 9/11 attacks. Proficient Peter Bergen later calls Massoud's bump-off "the drapery raiser for the attacks on New York City and Washington, DC."
Terrorists Strike the U.S.
Al-Qaeda operatives hijack four commercial airliners, crashing them into the World Trade Middle in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth plane crashes in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Close to 3 m people die in the attacks. Although Transitional islamic state of afghanistan is the base of operations for al-Qaeda, none of the 19 hijackers are Afghan nationals. Mohammed Atta, an Egyptian, led the grouping, and fifteen of the hijackers originated from Saudi arabia. U.Southward. President George W. Bush vows to "win the state of war against terrorism," and later zeros in on al-Qaeda and bin Laden in Afghanistan. Bush eventually calls on the Taliban regime to "deliver to the United States authorities all the leaders of al-Qaeda who hide in your land," or share in their fate.
A War Footing
President Bush signs into law a joint resolution authorizing the use of forcefulness against those responsible for attacking the Us on September xi. This joint resolution will later on exist cited by the Bush-league administration as legal rationale for its decision to take sweeping measures to gainsay terrorism, including invading Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without a court order, and continuing up the detention army camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The Opening Salvo
The U.S. military, with British support, begins a bombing campaign confronting Taliban forces, officially launching Performance Enduring Liberty. Commonwealth of australia, Canada, France, and Frg pledge future back up. The war's early phase [PDF] mainly involves U.Southward. air strikes on al-Qaeda and Taliban forces that are assisted by a partnership of well-nigh one m U.Due south. special forces, the Northern Alliance, and ethnic Pashtun anti-Taliban forces. The commencement moving ridge of conventional footing forces arrives twelve days later. Almost of the ground combat is between the Taliban and its Afghan opponents.
The Taliban in Retreat
The Taliban government unravels rapidly after its loss at Mazar-east-Sharif on November nine, 2001, to forces loyal to Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek armed forces leader. Over the next week Taliban strongholds crumble later on coalition and Northern Alliance offensives on Taloqan (November 11), Bamiyan (November 11), Herat (November 12), Kabul (November 13), and Jalalabad (November 14). On Nov 14, the United nations Security Council passes Resolution 1378, calling for a "central role" for the United Nations in establishing a transitional assistants and inviting member states to send peacekeeping forces to promote stability and aid delivery.
Bin Laden Escapes
Afterward tracking al-Qaeda leader bin Laden to the well-equipped Tora Bora cavern circuitous southeast of Kabul, Afghan militias engage in a fierce ii-week battle (Dec 3 to 17) with al-Qaeda militants. It results in a few hundred deaths and the eventual escape of bin Laden, who is thought to have left for Pakistan on horseback on December 16—just a day earlier Afghan forces capture twenty of his remaining men. Despite intelligence pointing to bin Laden's presence in Tora Bora, U.S. forces practice not lead the assault, which is carried out past a ragtag Afghan contingent led by Hazrat Ali, Haji Zaman, and Haji Zahir. Some critics will afterwards question why U.S. forces did not have a more believing part in the engagement.
An Interim Government
After the fall of Kabul in November 2001, the United nations invites major Afghan factions, nearly prominently the Northern Alliance and a grouping led past the old king (but not the Taliban), to a conference in Bonn, Germany. On Dec v, 2001, the factions sign the Bonn Agreement, endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 1383. The understanding, reportedly reached with substantial Iranian diplomatic help because of Iran's support for the Northern Brotherhood faction, installs Hamid Karzai as interim administration head, and creates an international peacekeeping force to maintain security in Kabul. The Bonn Agreement is followed by Un Security Council Resolution 1386 on Dec xx, which establishes the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF.
The Taliban Collapse
The end of the Taliban regime is generally tied to this date, when the Taliban surrender Kandahar [PDF] and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar flees the city, leaving it under tribal law administered by Pashtun leaders. Despite the official fall of the Taliban, however, al-Qaeda leaders continue to hide out in the mountains.
Operation Anaconda, the first major ground assault and the largest operation since Tora Bora, is launched against an estimated 8 hundred al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the Shah-i-Kot Valley south of the city of Gardez (Paktia Province). Most two yard U.Due south. and k Afghan troops battle the militants. Despite the operation'southward size, nevertheless, Anaconda does not stand for a broadening of the war try. Instead, Pentagon planners brainstorm shifting military machine and intelligence resource abroad from Afghanistan in the direction of Saddam Hussein's Republic of iraq, which is increasingly mentioned as a chief U.S. threat in the "war on terror."
Reconstructing Afghanistan
President Bush calls for the reconstruction of Transitional islamic state of afghanistan in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute. "By helping to build an Transitional islamic state of afghanistan that is gratis from this evil and is a better identify in which to live, we are working in the all-time traditions of George Marshall," he says, evoking the mail service-World War 2 Marshall Plan that revived Western Europe. Just the United States and its allies do not come close to Marshall Plan-similar reconstruction spending for Afghanistan. The U.Due south. Congress appropriates over $38 billion in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2009.
Transitional Government Named
Chairman of the Acting Administration of Afghanistan Karzai is picked is picked to head the state's transitional government. His selection comes during an emergency loya jirga assembled in Kabul, attended by ane,550 delegates (including nearly 200 women) from Afghanistan'due south 364 districts. Karzai, leader of the powerful Popalzai tribe of Durrani Pashtuns, returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan later on the 9/11 attacks to organize Pashtun resistance to the Taliban. Some observers criminate Karzai tolerates corruption by members of his clan and his regime. The Northern Alliance, dominated by ethnic Tajiks, fails in its effort to set a prime ministership, but does succeed in checking presidential powers by assigning major authorities to the elected parliament, such equally the ability to veto senior official nominees and to impeach a president.
Establishing a Reconstruction Model
The U.Southward. war machine creates a civil affairs framework to coordinate redevelopment with the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations and to aggrandize the authority of the Kabul government. These so-called provincial reconstruction teams, or PRTs, are stood up starting time in Gardez in November, followed by Bamiyan, Kunduz, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Herat. Command for individual PRTs is eventually handed over to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) states. While credited with improving security for aid agencies, the model is not universally praised. Concern mounts that the PRT system lacks central controlling authority, is disorganized, and creates what a U.S. Institute of Peace study calls "an ad hoc approach" to security and development. Such criticism grows beyond the PRT program and becomes a common theme in the NATO state of war effort, equally a maze of national caveats restricts the activities of member forces. Critics contend this limits the coalition'south effectiveness.
'Major Combat' Over
During a conference with reporters in Kabul, U.South. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declares an end to "major combat." The announcement coincides with President Bush-league's "mission accomplished" declaration of an cease to fighting in Iraq. Rumsfeld says President Bush, U.S. Key Control Chief Gen. Tommy Franks, and Afghan President Karzai "have concluded that nosotros are at a point where we clearly have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction and activities." There are just 8 thousand U.S. soldiers stationed in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan. It is predicted that the transition from gainsay to reconstruction will open the door for many help organizations, especially European groups, that had balked at sending troops, supplies, or other assistance.
An International Mission
NATO assumes control of international security forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan, expanding NATO/ISAF's role across the state. It is NATO's first operational commitment outside of Europe. Originally tasked with securing Kabul and its surrounding areas, NATO expands in September 2005, July 2006, and October 2006. The number of ISAF troops grows accordingly, from an initial five thousand to around sixty-five one thousand troops from forty-ii countries, including all 20-eight NATO member states. In 2006, ISAF assumes command of the international military forces in eastern Afghanistan from the U.S.-led coalition, and too becomes more involved in intensive combat operations in southern Afghanistan.
A Constitution for Afghanistan
An assembly of 502 Afghan delegates agrees on a constitution for Afghanistan, creating a strong presidential system intended to unite the country'south various ethnic groups. The act is seen as a positive footstep toward democracy. "Afghans have seized the opportunity provided by the U.s.a. and its international partners to lay the foundation for democratic institutions and provide a framework for national elections," declares U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
A New President for Afghanistan
In historic national balloting, President Karzai becomes the first democratically elected head of Afghanistan. Voters turn out in high numbers despite threats of violence and intimidation. Karzai wins with 55 per centum of the vote, while his closest rival, quondam pedagogy government minister Younis Qanooni, polls 16 pct. Karzai'south ballot victory is marred past accusations of fraud by his opponents and past the kidnapping of three foreign Un election workers by a militant group. Simply the election is nonetheless hailed as a victory for the frail nation; Afghans had not gone to the polls since 1969, when they cast ballots in parliamentary elections during the reign of King Mohammed Zahir Shah.
Bin Laden Surfaces
Signaling the persistent challenges facing the U.Due south.-led coalition in Afghanistan, bin Laden releases a videotaped message iii weeks later on the country'southward presidential election and just days earlier the U.South. election, which President Bush wins. In remarks aired on the Arab tv network Al Jazeera, bin Laden taunts the Bush-league administration and takes responsibleness for the attacks on September xi, 2001. "Nosotros want to restore liberty to our nation, just as you lay waste to our nation," bin Laden says.
An Enduring U.South. Delivery
Afghan President Karzai and U.S. President Bush issue a joint declaration that pronounces their respective countries strategic partners. The annunciation gives U.South. forces access to Afghan military facilities to prosecute "the war against international terror and the struggle against vehement extremism." The alliance's goal, the agreement says, is to "strengthen U.S.-Afghan ties and assistance ensure Afghanistan'southward long-term security, democracy, and prosperity." Moreover, the agreement calls for Washington to "assist organize, train, equip, and sustain Afghan security forces as Afghanistan develops the capacity to undertake this responsibility," and to continue to rebuild the country's economy and political democracy.
Democracy and Transitional islamic state of afghanistan
More than six million Afghans plough out to vote for the Wolesi Jirga (Council of People), the Meshrano Jirga (Council of Elders), and local councils. Considered the about autonomous elections ever in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, nearly one-half those casting ballots are women, viewed as a sign of political progress in a highly patriarchal and bourgeois society. Sixty-eight out of 249 seats are set aside for female members of Afghanistan's lower house of parliament and 23 out of 102 are reserved in the upper house.
A Bloody Resurgence
Violence increases across the land during the summer months, with intense fighting erupting in the due south in July. The number of suicide attacks quintuples from 27 in 2005 to 139 in 2006, while remotely detonated bombings more than double, to 1,677. Despite a cord of recent election successes, some experts blame a faltering central government for the spike in attacks. "Equally with most insurgencies, the critical precondition [to the Afghan insurgency] is the collapse of governance," says Afghanistan good Seth G. Jones. Jones and other experts indicate to the many Afghans who lack basic services, the government'southward difficultly setting upward its police forces, and the lack of international forces to assist with security.
Cracks in the Coalition
At the NATO summit in Riga, Latvia, rifts sally among member states on troop commitments to Afghanistan. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer sets a target of 2008 for the Afghan National Regular army to begin to take control of security. "I would hope that by 2008 nosotros will have made considerable progress," he says, "with a more stable political architecture in place, and with a strong interface between NATO and the civilian agencies and effective, trusted Afghan security forces gradually taking control." Leaders of the twenty-6 countries agree to remove some national restrictions on how, when, and where forces can be used. But friction continues. With violence against nongovernmental aid workers increasing, U.South. Secretary of Defence force Robert Gates criticizes NATO countries in late 2007 for non sending more soldiers. "Our progress in Afghanistan is real but it is frail," Gates says. "At this time, many allies are unwilling to share the risks, commit the resources, and follow through on collective commitments to this mission and to each other. As a result, nosotros adventure allowing what has been accomplished in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan to sideslip abroad."
A Taliban Commander Falls
A notorious Taliban military commander, Mullah Dadullah, is killed in a joint operation by Afghan, U.S., and NATO forces in the south of Afghanistan. Dadullah is believed to have been a leader of guerrilla forces in the state of war in Helmand Province, deploying suicide bombers and ordering the kidnapping of Westerners. He in one case told the BBC that hundreds of suicide bombers awaited his command to launch an offensive against strange troops.
Collateral Killings Mount
Afghan and UN investigations detect that errant fire from a U.South. gunship killed dozens of Afghan civilians in the Shindand District of western Herat Province, drawing condemnation from Afghan President Karzai and bolstering Taliban claims that coalition forces are unable to protect the population. U.S. military officials dispute the death toll in this incident every bit well as claims that a dissever incident in Farah Province left as many as 140 civilians dead. After being named top U.S. commander in Afghanistan in mid-2009, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal orders an overhaul of U.S. air strike procedures. "We must avert the trap of winning tactical victories, but suffering strategic defeats, by causing civilian casualties or excessive impairment and thus alienating the people," the general writes.
Obama Recommits to Afghanistan
Newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama announces plans to transport seventeen thousand more troops to the war zone. Obama reaffirms campaign statements that Afghanistan is the more important U.Due south. front end against terrorist forces. He says the U.s.a. will stick to a timetable to draw down most combat forces from Iraq by the end of 2011. Every bit of Jan 2009 the Pentagon has thirty-vii yard troops in Afghanistan, roughly divided betwixt U.Due south. and NATO commands. Reinforcements focus on countering a "resurgent" Taliban and stemming the menstruation of foreign fighters over the Afghan-Pakistan border in the s. Speaking on the troop increase, Secretarial assistant of Defense Robert Gates describes the original mission in Afghanistan as "too wide" and calls for establishing express goals such every bit preventing and limiting terrorist safe havens.
A New American Strategy
President Obama announces a new strategy for the war endeavour, linking success in Afghanistan to a stable Pakistan. The core goal of the strategy, every bit outlined in an interagency white newspaper, is "to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its prophylactic havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their render to Pakistan or Afghanistan." The strategy urges the passage of increased aid to Islamic republic of pakistan and a strict standard of measuring progress in fighting al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Plans also telephone call for the deployment of an additional four thousand soldiers to help train the Afghan army and police force. Afghan President Karzai welcomes the strategy, stating that the programme volition bring Transitional islamic state of afghanistan and the international customs closer to success.
A Unlike Call to NATO
Senior U.S. military officials and commanders, altering form from the Bush administration, call on NATO nations to supply non-military assets to Afghanistan. Officials stress the need for NATO members to step up in building Afghan civil club, such every bit providing resources for PRTs. A 2-day NATO summit in early April ends with a promise by NATO nations to ship an additional five thou troops to train the Afghan army and law force, and to provide security for the country'south Baronial presidential ballot.
Command Modify
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates replaces the top U.Southward. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David D. McKiernan, with counterinsurgency and special operations guru Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal. McKiernan's removal comes eleven months afterwards he assumed control of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Gates says the Pentagon needs "fresh thinking" and "fresh optics" on the Afghanistan war at a time when many analysts say operations there are spiraling out of control. Reports indicate that the date of McChrystal is intended to bring a more "aggressive and innovative" approach to the Afghan state of war effort in melody with a more focused counterinsurgency strategy.
New Strategy, Old Battles
U.S. Marines launch a major offensive in southern Afghanistan, representing a major test for the U.Due south. military'southward new counterinsurgency strategy. The offensive, involving 4 thousand Marines, is launched in response to a growing Taliban insurgency in the land'due south southern provinces, peculiarly Helmand Province. The functioning focuses on restoring government services, bolstering local police forces, and protecting civilians from Taliban incursion. By August 2009 U.S. forces are to number between sixty k and sixty-eight thousand.
Afghan Presidential Election
After more than than two months of uncertainty following a disputed presidential election on August twenty, Afghan President Karzai wins another term. The Baronial twenty ballot, which pitted Karzai against tiptop contenders Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, was marred past fraud allegations. An investigation by the Un-backed Electoral Complaints Commission finds Karzai won but 49.67 percent of the vote, below the 50 pct-plus-ane threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Under international pressure, Karzai agrees to a runoff vote on Nov 7. But a calendar week earlier the runoff, Karzai's master rival Abdullah pulls out, and Karzai is declared the winner. Concerns over Karzai's legitimacy grow, and the The states and other international partners telephone call for improved governance. U.Southward. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ties all future civilian aid to greater efforts past the Karzai administration to combat abuse.
Obama's Afghan Surge
Ix months after renewing the U.S. commitment to the Afghan state of war effort, President Obama announces a major escalation of the U.S. mission. In a nationally televised speech, the president commits an additional thirty m forces to the fight, on tiptop of the 60-eight thousand in place. These forces, Obama says, "volition increment our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more than Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the atmospheric condition for the United States to transfer responsibleness to the Afghans." For the get-go time in the eight-year war effort, a time frame is put on the U.S. military presence, as Obama sets July 2011 as the beginning of a troop drawdown. But the president does non detail how long a drawdown will take. Obama says U.South. national interests are linked to success in the Afghan state of war endeavor, and argues that this temporary surge will force Afghan political and armed forces institutions to assume responsibility for their own affairs.
Gen. McChrystal Relieved From Afghan Command
General McChrystal is relieved of his post as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, following a controversial Rolling Rock commodity in which he and his aides were quoted criticizing the administration. President Obama nominates Full general David Petraeus, head of the military'south Central Command and builder of the 2007 Iraq surge, to replace McChrystal. The change in command comes at a crucial fourth dimension in the war, equally boosted surge forces are scheduled to arrive alee of a critical operation in Kandahar. Obama emphasizes that his acceptance of McChrystal's resignation does not reflect disagreement over the counterinsurgency strategy he had helped shape. "We are in total agreement about our strategy," says Obama. "This is a change in personnel, non a change in policy."
Timetable for Security Transition
At a height in Lisbon, Portugal, NATO member countries sign a announcement agreeing to hand over full responsibility for security in Afghanistan to Afghan forces by the cease of 2014. The transition procedure is set to begin in July 2011, with local security forces taking over control in relatively stable provinces and cities. The initial handover is to coincide with the start of a drawdown in the one hundred thousand-potent contingent of U.South. troops deployed in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan, though the number of U.Due south. soldiers leaving is expected to be a token amount. Only many in Afghanistan and in the Due west, including members of the Afghan parliament, are concerned about the ability of national forces to take over from international troops.
Bin Laden Killed
Al-Qaeda leader bin Laden, responsible for the 9/11 attacks, is killed by U.S. forces in Islamic republic of pakistan. The death of the United States' main target for a war that started ten years agone fuels the long-simmering contend about continuing the Afghanistan war. As President Obama prepares to denote the withdrawal of some or all of the xxx thou surge troops in July, congressional lawmakers increasingly phone call for a hastened drawdown of U.S. troops, though some analysts argue for a sustained military engagement. Meanwhile, anti-Pakistan rhetoric grows in Afghanistan, where officials take long blamed terrorist safe havens in Pakistan for violence in Afghanistan. Afghan President Karzai reiterates that international forces should focus their military efforts across the border in Pakistan. "For years we take said that the fight against terrorism is not in Afghan villages and houses," he says.
Obama Announces Troop Drawdown
President Obama outlines a programme to withdraw thirty-three thousand troops by the summer of 2012—the surge troops sent in December 2009—including x grand by the end of 2011. Polls evidence a record number of Americans do not back up the war, and Obama faces force per unit area from lawmakers, particularly Democrats, to sizably reduce U.S. forces in Afghanistan. After the surge troops get out, an estimated seventy chiliad U.S. troops are scheduled to stay through at to the lowest degree 2014. Obama confirms that the U.S. is property preliminary peace talks with the Taliban leadership. With reconciliation in mind, the UN Security Council days before splits a sanctions listing between members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, making it easier to add and remove people and entities.
10 Years of War
The U.S. war in Afghanistan marks its tenth anniversary, with about hundred thousand U.Southward. troops deployed in a counterinsurgency role, primarily in southern and eastern regions. President Obama plans to withdraw all combat troops past 2014, simply serious doubts remain about the Afghan government's chapters to secure the country. Amidst a resilient insurgency, U.S. goals in Afghanistan remain uncertain and terrorist prophylactic havens in Pakistan continue to undermine U.S. efforts. A decade in, the state of war'due south tolls include 1,800 U.S. troop casualties and $444 billion in spending. The costs have eroded U.Southward. public support, with a global economic downturn, a 9.1 percent unemployment charge per unit, and a $1.3 trillion annual budget arrears. While there are military gains, hopes for a deal with the Taliban to assist current of air downwardly the conflict remain riddled with setbacks. Afghan President Karzai suspends the talks following the September twenty assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the government's main negotiator, which Afghan officials arraign on the Pakistan-based Haqqani network. The group denies it.
Bonn Briefing
Ten years after the kickoff international conference that discussed Afghanistan'southward political time to come, dozens of countries and organizations meet again in Bonn, Germany, to devise a roadmap of cooperation beyond the international troop withdrawal in 2014. Afghan President Karzai says the land will require $10 billion annually over the side by side decade to shore up security and reconstruction, and commits to tackling abuse in exchange for continued international assistance. The conference fails to achieve its objectives—to lay downwardly a blueprint for Afghanistan'south transition to a self-sustaining and secure government—as the insurgency continues to rage, and Islamic republic of pakistan, a crucial player, refuses to nourish.
Taliban Abolish Talks; U.S.-Afghan Tensions Flare
In January, the Taliban strike a deal to open up an role in Qatar, a motion toward peace talks that the United States sees as a crucial part of a political settlement to ensure a stable Transitional islamic state of afghanistan. But ii months later, the Taliban suspend preliminary talks, accusing Washington of reneging on promises to take meaningful steps toward a prisoner bandy. In Feb, U.South. Defence Secretarial assistant Leon Panetta announces the Pentagon'due south plan to conclude combat missions by every bit early as mid-2013 and shift to a primarily security assistance part in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan. Meanwhile, several incidents serve as blows to the international mission, including an accidental burning of Qurans by U.S. troops and allegations that a U.S. soldier murdered at least sixteen Afghan villagers. Afghan President Karzai demands that foreign troops be withdrawn from village outposts and confined to armed forces bases, which analysts say would profoundly advance the pace of transition from NATO to Afghan control.
Afghan Security Takeover Completed
Afghan forces have the atomic number 82 in security responsibleness nationwide every bit NATO easily over control of the remaining ninety-five districts. The U.S.-led coalition's focus shifts to armed forces training and special operations-driven counterterrorism. The handover occurs on the same day as the announcement that Taliban representatives and U.Due south. officials will resume talks in Doha, Qatar, where the Taliban have but opened an function. Afghan President Karzai, believing the office volition confer legitimacy on the insurgent grouping and serve as a diplomatic outpost, suspends negotiations with the United States. With its mandate expiring in December 2014, the United States must negotiate a bilateral security agreement with the Karzai regime to maintain a military presence.
Obama Announces U.S. Troop Withdrawal
President Obama announces a timetable for withdrawing about U.Southward. forces from Transitional islamic state of afghanistan past the end of 2016. The first phase of his plan calls for 9,800 U.S. troops to remain later on the combat mission concludes at the stop of 2014, limited to training Afghan forces and conducting operations confronting "the remnants of al-Qaeda." Obama says the drawdown will free resource for counterterrorism priorities elsewhere. Some analysts betoken to the insurgency'south resilience and question the plan'south rigidity. Both candidates vying to succeed Afghan President Karzai accept promised to sign the security agreement that is a prerequisite of any mail service-2014 U.Southward. troop presence.
Ghani, Abdullah Agree to Unity Authorities
Newly elected Afghan President Ghani signs a power-sharing understanding with his main opponent, Abdullah, who had mobilized thousands of protesters as he challenged the voting results. The agreement, brokered later on intensive diplomacy by U.Southward. Secretary of Country John Kerry, establishes the office of primary executive for Abdullah. While the agreement staves off civil unrest, it ushers in protracted government dysfunction as Ghani and Abdullah tussle over their respective prerogatives, such as appointments to security posts, at a time when the Taliban are making gains in the countryside. Ghani, a former World Bank specialist, is a Pashtun from the country'southward south, like Karzai, just is seen by the Obama administration every bit a welcome modify. Karzai had railed against civilian casualties in the U.S. state of war effort and was seen as fostering public corruption.
U.Southward. Attacks Islamic Country Redoubt
The Us drops its almost powerful non-nuclear bomb on suspected self-proclaimed Islamic Land militants at a cavern circuitous in eastern Nangarhar Province. The weapon, known colloquially as "the female parent of all bombs," comes as newly elected President Donald Trump delegates decision-making authorities to commanders, including the possibility of adding several grand U.S. troops to the nearly nine thou already deployed there. (There are about as many U.S. contractors too.) The bombing casts a spotlight on the emergence of the Islamic Land in Afghanistan. At the same time, the Taliban appear to exist as strong as always, and the U.S. war machine describes the war as a stalemate. Kabul experiences suicide bombings [PDF] on a scale never before seen, while the Taliban command or contest more than a tertiary [PDF] of the country. U.S. Marines are once again dispatched to Helmand Province.
Trump Signals Prolonged Afghan State of war
President Trump outlines his Afghanistan policy in an address to troops in Arlington, Virginia, maxim that though his "original instinct was to pull out," he will instead press ahead with an open-ended military delivery to prevent the emergence of "a vacuum for terrorists." Differentiating his policy from Obama'southward, Trump says decisions about withdrawal will be based on "conditions on the ground," rather than arbitrary timelines. He invites India to play a greater part in rebuilding Transitional islamic state of afghanistan while castigating Pakistan for harboring insurgents. He likewise pledges to loosen restrictions on combat even every bit the United nations reports an uptick [PDF] in noncombatant casualties caused past Afghan and coalition air strikes. A political settlement with the Taliban, Trump says, is far off.
Taliban Launch Major Attacks Amid U.S. Escalation
The Taliban carry out a series of assuming terror attacks in Kabul that impale more than 115 people amidst a broader upsurge in violence. The attacks come up as the Trump administration implements its Afghanistan programme, deploying troops across rural Transitional islamic state of afghanistan to propose Afghan brigades and launching air strikes against opium labs to endeavour to decimate the Taliban's finances. The administration also cuts off security assistance worth billions of dollars to Pakistan for what President Trump called its "lies and deceit" in harboring Taliban militants. Critics of the National Unity Government say domestic politics—notably a showdown with a provincial governor—accept distracted Afghan President Ghani from security.
U.Due south.-Taliban Peace Talks Progress
Negotiations between the U.s.a. and the Taliban in Doha enter their highest level withal, building on momentum that began in belatedly 2018. The talks between U.Southward. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and summit Taliban official Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar center on the United States withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban pledging to block international terrorist groups from operating on Afghan soil. The ramped-up diplomacy follows signals that President Trump plans to pull out seven thousand troops, about half the total U.S. deployment. Khalilzad says the United States will insist that the Taliban agree to participate in an intra-Afghan dialogue on the land's political structure, as well as a end-fire. It is unclear whether Trump will condition the troop withdrawal on those terms.
Trump Calls Off Peace Talks
President Trump abruptly breaks off peace talks a calendar week after elevation U.S. negotiator Khalilzad announced that an understanding had been reached "in principle" with Taliban leaders. In a tweet, Trump says he canceled a secret meeting with the Taliban and Afghan President Ghani at Camp David after a U.S. soldier was killed in a Taliban assail. The Taliban say they are "committed to continuing negotiations," but warn that the cancellation volition cause an increment in the number of deaths.
U.Due south., Taliban Sign Deal on Path to Peace
U.S. envoy Khalilzad and the Taliban's Baradar sign an understanding [PDF] that paves the way for a significant drawdown of U.South. troops in Afghanistan and includes guarantees from the Taliban that the country will non be used for terrorist activities. The deal says intra-Afghan negotiations should brainstorm the following month, but Afghan President Ghani says the Taliban must meet his regime's own conditions before it enters talks. The U.S.-Taliban deal doesn't call for an immediate cease-burn, and in the days after its signing, Taliban fighters carry out dozens of attacks on Afghan security forces. U.Due south. forces respond with an air strike against the Taliban in the southern province of Helmand.
Intra-Afghan Peace Talks Begin
Representatives of the Taliban and of the Afghan government and ceremonious club run across face to face for the first time in Doha, Qatar, after nearly twenty years of war. The directly negotiations, which were delayed for months over a prisoner bandy proposed in the earlier U.S.-Taliban bargain, begin after the Afghan government completes the release of v thousand Taliban prisoners. During opening remarks, both sides express eagerness to bring peace to Transitional islamic state of afghanistan and establish a framework for Afghan society afterward U.S. troops withdraw. The government pushes for a terminate-fire, while the Taliban reiterate their call for the land to be governed through an Islamic system.
U.S. Announces Troop Withdrawal
Acting U.S. Defense force Secretary Christopher C. Miller announces plans to halve the number of troops in Afghanistan to 2,500 by mid-January, days before President-Elect Joe Biden volition be inaugurated. Thousands of troops had already been pulled out following an agreement with the Taliban in Feb, moving closer to fulfilling President Trump'southward campaign promise to end the then-called forever wars. The declaration comes every bit negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are deadlocked and the militant grouping continues to launch deadly attacks. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warns that withdrawing troops too early could allow Afghanistan to go a haven for terrorists and the Islamic State to rebuild its caliphate.
Biden Decides on Complete U.S. Withdrawal by 9/11
President Biden announces that the Us will not meet the deadline prepare under the U.S.-Taliban understanding to withdraw all troops by May 1 and instead releases a programme for a full withdrawal by September 11, 2021. "It's time to finish America'south longest war," he says. The remaining 3,500 troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawn regardless of whether progress is made in intra-Afghan peace talks or the Taliban reduce their attacks on Afghan security forces and citizens. NATO troops in Afghanistan will also get out. Biden says Washington will go along to assist Afghan security forces and back up the peace process. The Taliban say they will not participate in "any conference" on Transitional islamic state of afghanistan'southward future until all foreign troops leave.
Afghan Authorities Collapses as the Taliban Take Kabul
Facing little resistance, Taliban fighters overrun the majuscule, Kabul, and take over the presidential palace hours after President Ghani leaves the country. Taliban leaders say they volition hold talks with Afghan officials to form an "open, inclusive Islamic government." Old Afghan President Karzai and Abdullah, formerly the chief executive under Ghani, create a council to facilitate a peaceful transition to a Taliban government. The takeover follows the Taliban'due south rapid advance, during which they captured all but two of Afghanistan's provincial capitals and seized border crossings. Afghan security forces in some areas reportedly negotiated surrenders and avoided fighting the Taliban.
Biden Defends Withdrawal
President Biden says his administration made the correct determination in ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, arguing that the U.S. counterterrorism mission is complete. Merely he acknowledges that the troop withdrawal has been "messy" and blames Afghan security forces for failing to counter the Taliban. Meanwhile, the United States deploys 6 thousand troops to evacuate U.South. and allied personnel and secure Kabul's international aerodrome, where chaos erupts as thousands of Afghans attempt to flee. Biden says the military will assist evacuate thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.s., and he expands refugee-status access for vulnerable Afghans.
Thirteen U.S. Service Members Killed Amidst Scramble to Withdraw
Thirteen U.Southward. service members are killed and at least eighteen are injured in an assail at a checkpoint outside the Kabul airport, where thousands of people are being evacuated. They are the beginning U.Southward. service members killed in action in Afghanistan since February 2020. At to the lowest degree 170 Afghans are too killed. The Islamic Country in Khorasan claims responsibility, and several days afterwards, the United States launches an air strike targeting a suspected plotter from the grouping. Yet, the Pentagon later admits that the strike was a "fault" and killed ten civilians, including seven children.
Twenty-Year State of war Ends as U.Due south. Completes Withdrawal
The last U.S. armed services forces depart Afghanistan, leaving it under Taliban rule. The exit follows a chaotic, two-week withdrawal process during which more than than 120,000 people are evacuated. The side by side solar day, President Biden says the United states of america should learn from its mistakes and that the withdrawal marks the end of "an era of major armed forces operations to remake other countries." Thousands of Afghans who assisted the Usa and its allies, as well as upwards to ii hundred Americans, remain in Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington will work to get them out and that hereafter U.S. engagement in Afghanistan will focus on affairs.
Source: https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan
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