Afghanistan War

The international conflict in Afghanistan that began in 2001 as a response to the September 11 attacks can be divided into three distinct phases. The initial phase involved the swift overthrow of the Taliban regime, which had provided shelter to the perpetrators of the attacks, al-Qaeda. This phase lasted a mere two months.

The second phase, spanning from 2002 to 2008, focused on the United States' efforts to defeat the Taliban militarily and rebuild the fundamental institutions of the Afghan state. Subsequently, a shift towards classic counterinsurgency doctrine occurred in 2008, with President Barack Obama's decision in 2009 to temporarily increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan. This larger force was deployed to safeguard the Afghan population from Taliban assaults and assist in the reintegration of insurgents into society.

Despite these efforts, the strategy ultimately fell short of its objectives. Insurgent attacks and civilian casualties persisted at alarming rates, and the readiness of Afghan military and police units to fend off the Taliban was called into question. The U.S. and NATO combat mission officially concluded in December 2014, marking the end of a 13-year conflict that became the longest war in U.S. history, resulting in the loss of 2,400 American service members and the injury of over 20,700 others.

Following the formal conclusion of the combat mission, a reduced force of approximately 13,000 troops remained in Afghanistan to provide support and training to Afghan forces until a gradual drawdown was initiated in 2020. The full withdrawal of U.S. troops began in 2020 and continued into 2021, coinciding with a resurgence of the Taliban as the withdrawal progressed.

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Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, a 12-man team of U.S. Army Green Berets (O.D.A. 595) were inserted deep in northern Afghanistan as part of an unconventional mission known as Task Force Dagger, to aid local partisans in their unconventional war against the Taliban.

The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan in 2014 with a ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul as the insurgency they fought for 13 years remained as ferocious and deadly as at any time since the 2001 invasion that unseated the Taliban regime following the Sept. 11 attacks.

The symbolic ceremony marked the end of the U.S. led International Security Assistance Force, which transitioned to a supporting role with 13,500 soldiers, most of them American, starting Jan. 1.

Gen. John Campbell, commander of ISAF, rolled up and sheathed the green and white ISAF flag and unfurled the flag of the new international mission, called Resolute Support.

The use of drones were a major component of the United States' military strategy in Afghanistan. The US military used drones to launch airstrikes against suspected insurgents, as well as for surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Drones provide soldiers with an aerial advantage to monitor and collect information about their surrounding environment with enhanced precision. This translates to improved situational awareness and enhanced battlefield intelligence.

The Afghan National Army and its elite commando force were trained by the United States and Western allies and formed the backbone of the former Afghan government's efforts to defend

the country and combat the Taliban and the Islamic State extremists.

On April 28, 1993, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Les Aspin issued a historic order that allowed women to fly in combat. This decision opened the doors for women to qualify as operational and combat mission ready military fighter and bomber pilots for the first time.

A team of female Airmen made history here March 30, 2011 when the F-15E Strike Eagles of "Dudette 07" blazed down the runway to provide close air support for coalition and Afghan ground forces.

The two-ship formation consisted of all females, two pilots and two weapons system officers, but more importantly, it marked the first combat mission flown from Bagram to be planned, maintained and flown entirely by females.

Although the call sign for the mission may have been lighthearted, the sortie was all business calling for the pilots to travel to the Kunar Valley just west of the Pakistan border in support of a large Army operation that was underway.

On the frontlines, US Army medics stabilize severely-wounded troops long enough for a medical evacuation to a field hospital. At Forward Operating Base Baylough, two medics of the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, use their medical skills for not only their fellow Soldiers but also local Afghans.

On occasion, villagers approach Soldiers for medical care. A patrol leader will ask village leaders if anyone is ill or injured. Some patients cannot be treated with supplies from the medic's aid bag.

"It's hard to work on the kids, especially the young ones," said one soldier. "I try to do the best that I can and not look like the big, bad American Soldier. I try to look like the good guy."

Marines with C Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) raise the first American flag in Afghanistan after the seizure of a forward operating base on Nov. 26, 2001, as Operation Enduring Freedom begins.

The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Afghanistan, becoming the first team of U.S. ground troops in the region. Encountering no resistance, the MEU began to set up a fortified base, “Camp Rhino,” at the airport just south of Kandahar, the last political and military stronghold of the Taliban regime. The mission, codenamed “Swift Freedom”, was to seal off the city of Kandahar, cutting off incoming supplies and escape routes. Within a day of securing the abandoned airstrip, Marine Cobra helicopters supported Navy F-14s in an attack in an armored convoy of fifteen enemy transport vehicles near the base.

Females account for 55 of the 970 total EOD technicians in the Air Force.

Women's service in the U.S. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community began in the 1970s amidst policy changes that opened more active duty roles to women while maintaining restrictions on their access to combat.

Center: On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was shot and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad by United States Navy SEALs of SEAL Team Six (also known as D.E.V.G.R.U.).

U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six were part of the Joint Special Operations Command, which was part of the U.S. Special Operations Command and conducted classified high-priority missions. The Red Squadron within U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six was chosen for the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound because it had just returned to the United States from a deployment in Afghanistan. Since they were scheduled for normal leave, the Red Squadron operators were able to train for the mission without attracting unwanted attention. The individual SEALs were selected for their extensive experience in demanding operations and specialized skills.

SEAL is an acronym for Sea, Air, and Land, referring to members’ ability to operate in all conditions.

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