US War in Afghanistan

CNN Editorial Research
Updated 3:25 PM EDT, Thu May 5, 2022
US soldiers fire artillery in Afghanistan's Kandahar province in June 2011. Operation Enduring Freedom was launched in October 2001 to stop the Taliban regime from providing a safe haven to al Qaeda and to stop al Qaeda's use of Afghanistan as a base of operations for terrorist activities.
US soldiers fire artillery in Afghanistan's Kandahar province in June 2011. Operation Enduring Freedom was launched in October 2001 to stop the Taliban regime from providing a safe haven to al Qaeda and to stop al Qaeda's use of Afghanistan as a base of operations for terrorist activities.
Baz Ratner/Reuters
Thousands of Taliban supporters rally in Quetta, Pakistan, near the Afghan border, on October 1, 2001.
Thousands of Taliban supporters rally in Quetta, Pakistan, near the Afghan border, on October 1, 2001.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is seen at an undisclosed location in this television image broadcast on October 7, 2001. Bin Laden praised God for the September 11 attacks and swore America "will never dream of security" until "the infidel's armies leave the land of Muhammad."
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is seen at an undisclosed location in this television image broadcast on October 7, 2001. Bin Laden praised God for the September 11 attacks and swore America "will never dream of security" until "the infidel's armies leave the land of Muhammad."
Al Jazeera TV/Getty Images
A Tomahawk cruise missile is launched from a US ship in the Arabian Sea on October 7, 2001. American and British forces began airstrikes in Afghanistan, targeting al Qaeda and the Taliban regime that had been giving al Qaeda protection.
A Tomahawk cruise missile is launched from a US ship in the Arabian Sea on October 7, 2001. American and British forces began airstrikes in Afghanistan, targeting al Qaeda and the Taliban regime that had been giving al Qaeda protection.
Ruben Sprich/Reuters
Members of the Afghan Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban group, kill a wounded Taliban fighter they found while advancing toward Kabul, Afghanistan, in November 2001. US airstrikes and Northern Alliance ground attacks led to the fall of Kabul that month.
Members of the Afghan Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban group, kill a wounded Taliban fighter they found while advancing toward Kabul, Afghanistan, in November 2001. US airstrikes and Northern Alliance ground attacks led to the fall of Kabul that month.
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
An Afghan Northern Alliance fighter bursts into laughter as US planes strike a Taliban position near Tora Bora, Afghanistan, in December 2001. Afghan militia leaders declared victory in the battle of Tora Bora and claimed to have captured al Qaeda's last base.
An Afghan Northern Alliance fighter bursts into laughter as US planes strike a Taliban position near Tora Bora, Afghanistan, in December 2001. Afghan militia leaders declared victory in the battle of Tora Bora and claimed to have captured al Qaeda's last base.
David Guttenfelder/AP
Renae Chapman holds her 2-year-old daughter, Amanda, during the funeral service for her husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Nathan R. Chapman, in Fort Lewis, Washington, in January 2002. He was the first US soldier to be killed by enemy fire during the war in Afghanistan.
Renae Chapman holds her 2-year-old daughter, Amanda, during the funeral service for her husband, Army Sgt. 1st Class Nathan R. Chapman, in Fort Lewis, Washington, in January 2002. He was the first US soldier to be killed by enemy fire during the war in Afghanistan.
Russ Carmack/AFP/Getty Images
Mohboba, 7, stands near a bullet-ridden wall in Kabul as she waits to be seen at a health clinic in March 2002. She had a skin ailment that plagued many <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/31/middleeast/cnnphotos-afghanistan-between-hope-and-fear" target="_blank">poverty-stricken children in Afghanistan.</a>
Mohboba, 7, stands near a bullet-ridden wall in Kabul as she waits to be seen at a health clinic in March 2002. She had a skin ailment that plagued many poverty-stricken children in Afghanistan.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
US soldier Jorge Avino tallies the number of people that his mortar team had killed while fighting in Afghanistan in March 2002.
US soldier Jorge Avino tallies the number of people that his mortar team had killed while fighting in Afghanistan in March 2002.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A man and his son watch US soldiers prepare to sweep their home in southeastern Afghanistan in November 2002.
A man and his son watch US soldiers prepare to sweep their home in southeastern Afghanistan in November 2002.
Scott Nelson/Getty Images
Women wait in line to be treated at a health clinic in Kalakan, Afghanistan, in February 2003.
Women wait in line to be treated at a health clinic in Kalakan, Afghanistan, in February 2003.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Mohammaed Mahdi, who lost his foot in a mine explosion, waits for a Red Cross doctor at his home in Kabul in August 2004. This photo was taken by Associated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti, who five years later lost part of his leg when the armored vehicle he was in hit a roadside bomb.
Mohammaed Mahdi, who lost his foot in a mine explosion, waits for a Red Cross doctor at his home in Kabul in August 2004. This photo was taken by Associated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti, who five years later lost part of his leg when the armored vehicle he was in hit a roadside bomb.
Emilio Morenatti/AP
Afghans in Kabul line up to vote in the country's first democratic election in October 2004. Hamid Karzai was sworn in as President in December of that year.
Afghans in Kabul line up to vote in the country's first democratic election in October 2004. Hamid Karzai was sworn in as President in December of that year.
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
An Afghan soldier provides security at the site where a US helicopter crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan, in April 2005. At least 16 people were killed.
An Afghan soldier provides security at the site where a US helicopter crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan, in April 2005. At least 16 people were killed.
Tomas Munita/AP
US President George W. Bush attends a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul in March 2006. It was Bush's first visit to Afghanistan.
US President George W. Bush attends a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul in March 2006. It was Bush's first visit to Afghanistan.
Ahmad Masood/Reuters
Girls at the Bibi Mahroo High School raise their hands during an English class in Kabul in November 2006. After the fall of the Taliban, millions of Afghan girls <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2012/09/26/world/asia/cnnheroes-afghan-schoolgirls" target="_blank">were able to attend school</a> and get the education that their mothers couldn't.
Girls at the Bibi Mahroo High School raise their hands during an English class in Kabul in November 2006. After the fall of the Taliban, millions of Afghan girls were able to attend school and get the education that their mothers couldn't.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
British Marines take cover during an anti-Taliban operation near Kajaki, Afghanistan, in March 2007. Many other countries also deployed troops to the country.
British Marines take cover during an anti-Taliban operation near Kajaki, Afghanistan, in March 2007. Many other countries also deployed troops to the country.
John Moore/Getty Images
Supplies are dropped to US troops in Afghanistan's Ghazni province in May 2007.
Supplies are dropped to US troops in Afghanistan's Ghazni province in May 2007.
Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
Afghan students recite Islamic prayers at an outdoor classroom in the remote Wakhan Corridor in September 2007.
Afghan students recite Islamic prayers at an outdoor classroom in the remote Wakhan Corridor in September 2007.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
US Army Spc. Brandon Olson sinks onto a bunker embankment in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley in September 2007. The Korengal Valley was the site of some of the deadliest combat in the region.
US Army Spc. Brandon Olson sinks onto a bunker embankment in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley in September 2007. The Korengal Valley was the site of some of the deadliest combat in the region.
Tim Hetherington/Imperial War Museums
US Marine Sgt. Nicholas Bender launches a Raven surveillance drone near the remote village of Baqwa, Afghanistan, in March 2009.
US Marine Sgt. Nicholas Bender launches a Raven surveillance drone near the remote village of Baqwa, Afghanistan, in March 2009.
John Moore/Getty Images
US soldiers take defensive positions after receiving fire from Taliban positions in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley in May 2009. Army Spc. Zachary Boyd was still in his "I love NY" boxers because he rushed from his sleeping quarters to join his fellow platoon members. 
US soldiers take defensive positions after receiving fire from Taliban positions in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley in May 2009. Army Spc. Zachary Boyd was still in his "I love NY" boxers because he rushed from his sleeping quarters to join his fellow platoon members. 
David Guttenfelder/AP
US soldiers shield their eyes from the rotor wash of a Chinook helicopter as they are picked up from a mission in Afghanistan's Paktika province in October 2009.
US soldiers shield their eyes from the rotor wash of a Chinook helicopter as they are picked up from a mission in Afghanistan's Paktika province in October 2009.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
Children watch a Canadian soldier conducting a dusk patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in October 2009.
Children watch a Canadian soldier conducting a dusk patrol in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in October 2009.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
US soldiers fire mortars from a base in Afghanistan's Kunar province in October 2009.
US soldiers fire mortars from a base in Afghanistan's Kunar province in October 2009.
David Guttenfelder/AP
Troops rest at an airfield in Afghanistan's Helmand province in February 2010.
Troops rest at an airfield in Afghanistan's Helmand province in February 2010.
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
Afghan soldiers rush a wounded police officer to an American helicopter in Afghanistan's Kunar province in March 2010.
Afghan soldiers rush a wounded police officer to an American helicopter in Afghanistan's Kunar province in March 2010.
Moises Saman/The New York Times/Redux
Village elders meet in Marja, Afghanistan, in March 2010.
Village elders meet in Marja, Afghanistan, in March 2010.
Moises Saman/The New York Times/Redux
Sgt. Brian Keith sits with his wife, Sara, and their baby son, Stephen, just before his deployment to Afghanistan in March 2010. A few months earlier, President Barack Obama announced a surge of 30,000 additional troops. This new deployment would bring the US total to almost 100,000 troops, in addition to 40,000 NATO troops. 
Sgt. Brian Keith sits with his wife, Sara, and their baby son, Stephen, just before his deployment to Afghanistan in March 2010. A few months earlier, President Barack Obama announced a surge of 30,000 additional troops. This new deployment would bring the US total to almost 100,000 troops, in addition to 40,000 NATO troops. 
Damon Winter/The New York Times/Redux
US troops, aboard a C-17 transport plane, head to Afghanistan in April 2010.
US troops, aboard a C-17 transport plane, head to Afghanistan in April 2010.
Damon Winter/The New York Times/Redux
US soldiers recover an armored vehicle that was hit by an explosive device in Afghanistan's Kunduz province in April 2010.
US soldiers recover an armored vehicle that was hit by an explosive device in Afghanistan's Kunduz province in April 2010.
Damon Winter/The New York Times/Redux
Schoolgirls are seen through the window of a Humvee as they wave to a passing American convoy in Herat, Afghanistan, in June 2010.
Schoolgirls are seen through the window of a Humvee as they wave to a passing American convoy in Herat, Afghanistan, in June 2010.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
A man cries while talking to US soldiers in Naghma Bazaar, Afghanistan, in September 2010. The man said Taliban fighters had forced their way into his home and demanded food and milk before getting into a firefight with American soldiers.
A man cries while talking to US soldiers in Naghma Bazaar, Afghanistan, in September 2010. The man said Taliban fighters had forced their way into his home and demanded food and milk before getting into a firefight with American soldiers.
Damon Winter/The New York Times/Redux
Halawasha, right, and an Afghan National Police member hold her young sister Shokria as a US Army medic wraps her serious burns in Now Ruzi, Afghanistan, in October 2010. US soldiers were on a routine patrol when they came across Shokria, whose forearms were burned with scalding milk during a household accident five days earlier. Medics dressed the burns and began working with local Afghan military to have the girl driven to a nearby hospital.
Halawasha, right, and an Afghan National Police member hold her young sister Shokria as a US Army medic wraps her serious burns in Now Ruzi, Afghanistan, in October 2010. US soldiers were on a routine patrol when they came across Shokria, whose forearms were burned with scalding milk during a household accident five days earlier. Medics dressed the burns and began working with local Afghan military to have the girl driven to a nearby hospital.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
An Afghan man is detained by US Marines after they battled Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's Helmand province in November 2010.
An Afghan man is detained by US Marines after they battled Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's Helmand province in November 2010.
Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters
President Barack Obama and members of his national security team monitor the Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. "Fourteen people crammed into the room, the President sitting in a folding chair on the corner of the table's head," <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/30/politics/obama-osama-bin-laden-raid-situation-room/" target="_blank">said CNN's Peter Bergen as he relived the bin Laden raid five years later.</a> "They sat in this room until the SEALs returned to Afghanistan." <em>(Editor's note: The classified document in front of Hillary Clinton was obscured by the White House.)</em>
President Barack Obama and members of his national security team monitor the Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. "Fourteen people crammed into the room, the President sitting in a folding chair on the corner of the table's head," said CNN's Peter Bergen as he relived the bin Laden raid five years later. "They sat in this room until the SEALs returned to Afghanistan." (Editor's note: The classified document in front of Hillary Clinton was obscured by the White House.)
Pete Souza/The White House/Getty Images
US Marine Cpl. Burness Britt reacts after being lifted onto a medevac helicopter in June 2011. A large piece of shrapnel from an improvised explosive device cut a major artery on his neck near Sangin, Afghanistan. This photo was taken by Anja Niedringhaus, an Associated Press photographer <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2014/04/04/world/asia/afghanistan-journalists-shot/index.html" target="_blank">who was fatally shot in Afghanistan in 2014.</a>
US Marine Cpl. Burness Britt reacts after being lifted onto a medevac helicopter in June 2011. A large piece of shrapnel from an improvised explosive device cut a major artery on his neck near Sangin, Afghanistan. This photo was taken by Anja Niedringhaus, an Associated Press photographer who was fatally shot in Afghanistan in 2014.
Anja Niedringhaus/AP
US soldiers work out at a post in Afghanistan's Kunar province in September 2011.
US soldiers work out at a post in Afghanistan's Kunar province in September 2011.
John Moore/Getty Images
Tarana Akbari, 12, screams after a suicide bomber attacked the Abul Fazel Shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 2011. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2011/12/06/world/asia/afghanistan-violence-analysis/index.html" target="_blank">Twin bomb blasts</a> killed dozens of Afghan people on the holy day of Ashura.
Tarana Akbari, 12, screams after a suicide bomber attacked the Abul Fazel Shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 2011. Twin bomb blasts killed dozens of Afghan people on the holy day of Ashura.
Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images
In this long-exposure photo, a jet takes off from the flight deck of the USS John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier that was in the northern Arabian Sea in January 2012.
In this long-exposure photo, a jet takes off from the flight deck of the USS John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier that was in the northern Arabian Sea in January 2012.
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux
Afghan soldiers, left, and American troops blow up a Taliban firing position in the Afghan village of Layadira in February 2013.
Afghan soldiers, left, and American troops blow up a Taliban firing position in the Afghan village of Layadira in February 2013.
Bryan Denton/The New York Times/Redux
Lesleigh Coyer lies down in front of the grave of her brother, Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Coyer, at Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery in March 2013. He died of complications from an injury sustained in Afghanistan.
Lesleigh Coyer lies down in front of the grave of her brother, Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Coyer, at Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery in March 2013. He died of complications from an injury sustained in Afghanistan.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Samiullah, 8 months old and malnourished, is held by his mother, Islam Bibi, at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Lashgar Gar, Afghanistan, in September 2013.
Samiullah, 8 months old and malnourished, is held by his mother, Islam Bibi, at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Lashgar Gar, Afghanistan, in September 2013.
Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times/Redux
An Afghan army convoy travels Highway 1 in Afghanistan's Wardak province in November 2013. The picture at right shows Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
An Afghan army convoy travels Highway 1 in Afghanistan's Wardak province in November 2013. The picture at right shows Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times/Redux
Afghan Army Sgt. Sayed Wazir screams a prayer while firing a rocket in Afghanistan's Wardak province in November 2013.
Afghan Army Sgt. Sayed Wazir screams a prayer while firing a rocket in Afghanistan's Wardak province in November 2013.
Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times/Redux
A woman is rushed from the scene of a suicide car bombing in Kabul in December 2013.
A woman is rushed from the scene of a suicide car bombing in Kabul in December 2013.
Adam Ferguson/The New York Times/Redux
Blood-stained Pakistani bank notes are displayed on the body of a dead suicide bomber after an attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in March 2014. Police said they found the bank notes in his pocket. Three insurgents tried to storm the former headquarters of Afghanistan's intelligence service in southern Kandahar. They died in a gunbattle with security forces, officials said.
Blood-stained Pakistani bank notes are displayed on the body of a dead suicide bomber after an attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in March 2014. Police said they found the bank notes in his pocket. Three insurgents tried to storm the former headquarters of Afghanistan's intelligence service in southern Kandahar. They died in a gunbattle with security forces, officials said.
Anja Niedringhaus/AP
US President Barack Obama walks with the parents of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after making a statement at the White House about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/31/world/asia/afghanistan-bergdahl-release/index.html" target="_blank">Bergdahl's release</a> in May 2014. Bergdahl had been held captive in Afghanistan for nearly five years, and the Taliban released him in exchange for five U.S.-held prisoners.
US President Barack Obama walks with the parents of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after making a statement at the White House about Bergdahl's release in May 2014. Bergdahl had been held captive in Afghanistan for nearly five years, and the Taliban released him in exchange for five U.S.-held prisoners.
J.H. Owen/Pool/Getty Images
This photo shows the aftermath of an American airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in October 2015. The hospital was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/10/05/asia/afghanistan-doctors-without-borders-hospital/index.html" target="_blank">"accidentally struck"</a> by US bombs after Afghan forces called for air support, said Gen. John Campbell, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan.
This photo shows the aftermath of an American airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in October 2015. The hospital was "accidentally struck" by US bombs after Afghan forces called for air support, said Gen. John Campbell, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan.
Victor J. Blue/The New York Times/Redux
American service members ride in a helicopter on the way to the Bagram Air Base near Kabul in September 2017. President Donald Trump had recently announced a plan to increase troops in the country.
American service members ride in a helicopter on the way to the Bagram Air Base near Kabul in September 2017. President Donald Trump had recently announced a plan to increase troops in the country.
Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images
President Donald Trump visits Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base in November 2019.
President Donald Trump visits Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base in November 2019.
Erin Schaff/The New York Times/Redux
Two children pass members of a Taliban Red Unit in Afghanistan's Laghman province in March 2020. A month earlier, the United States and the Taliban <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/29/politics/us-taliban-deal-signing/index.html" target="_blank">signed a historic agreement.</a>
Two children pass members of a Taliban Red Unit in Afghanistan's Laghman province in March 2020. A month earlier, the United States and the Taliban signed a historic agreement.
Jim Huylebroek/The New York Times/Redux
US soldiers retrieve their bags in Fort Drum, New York, in December 2020, after returning home from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan.
US soldiers retrieve their bags in Fort Drum, New York, in December 2020, after returning home from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan.
John Moore/Getty Images
President Joe Biden speaks from the White House Treaty Room in April 2021. Biden formally announced his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan before September 11.
President Joe Biden speaks from the White House Treaty Room in April 2021. Biden formally announced his decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan before September 11.
Andrew Harnik/AP
A member of Afghanistan's security forces walks at Bagram Air Base after the last American troops <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/01/politics/us-military-bagram-airfield-afghanistan/index.html" target="_blank">departed the compound</a> in July 2021. It marked the end of the American presence at a sprawling compound that became the center of military power in Afghanistan.
A member of Afghanistan's security forces walks at Bagram Air Base after the last American troops departed the compound in July 2021. It marked the end of the American presence at a sprawling compound that became the center of military power in Afghanistan.
Rahmat Gul/AP
A member of the Afghan Special Forces drives a Humvee during a combat mission against the Taliban in July 2021. Danish Siddiqui, the Reuters photographer who took this photo, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/16/media/danish-siddiqui-reuters-journalist-afghanistan/index.html" target="_blank">was killed days later</a> during clashes in Afghanistan. Siddiqui had been a photographer for Reuters since 2010, and he was the news agency's chief photographer in India. He was also part of a Reuters team that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography covering Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar.
A member of the Afghan Special Forces drives a Humvee during a combat mission against the Taliban in July 2021. Danish Siddiqui, the Reuters photographer who took this photo, was killed days later during clashes in Afghanistan. Siddiqui had been a photographer for Reuters since 2010, and he was the news agency's chief photographer in India. He was also part of a Reuters team that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography covering Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar.
Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
Hanif, who was struck in the temple by a stray bullet, and his older brother, Mohammed, are seen at the Mirwais Regional Hospital in Kandahar in August 2021. Kandahar had been under siege for a month, and it would soon fall to the Taliban.
Hanif, who was struck in the temple by a stray bullet, and his older brother, Mohammed, are seen at the Mirwais Regional Hospital in Kandahar in August 2021. Kandahar had been under siege for a month, and it would soon fall to the Taliban.
Jim Huylebroek/The New York Times/Redux
Taliban fighters sit inside the presidential palace in Kabul in August 2021. The palace was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/15/politics/biden-administration-taliban-kabul-afghanistan/index.html" target="_blank">handed over to the Taliban</a> after being vacated hours earlier by Afghan government officials. Many of Afghanistan's major cities had already fallen to the insurgent group with little to no resistance.
Taliban fighters sit inside the presidential palace in Kabul in August 2021. The palace was handed over to the Taliban after being vacated hours earlier by Afghan government officials. Many of Afghanistan's major cities had already fallen to the insurgent group with little to no resistance.
Zabi Karimi/AP
People climb atop a plane at Kabul's international airport after the Taliban retook the capital a day earlier. Hundreds of people<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/16/middleeast/kabul-afghanistan-withdrawal-taliban-intl/index.html" target="_blank"> </a>poured onto the tarmac, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/16/middleeast/kabul-afghanistan-withdrawal-taliban-intl/index.html" target="_blank">desperately seeking a route out of Afghanistan.</a>
People climb atop a plane at Kabul's international airport after the Taliban retook the capital a day earlier. Hundreds of people poured onto the tarmac, desperately seeking a route out of Afghanistan.
Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images
A man carries a bloodied child as a wounded woman lies on the street after Taliban fighters fired guns and lashed out with whips, sticks and sharp objects to control a crowd outside the airport in Kabul in August 2021. "The violence was indiscriminate," Los Angeles Times photographer Marcus Yam told CNN. "I even watched one Taliban fighter, after firing some shots in the general direction of the crowd, smiling at another Taliban fighter — as though it were a game to them or something."
A man carries a bloodied child as a wounded woman lies on the street after Taliban fighters fired guns and lashed out with whips, sticks and sharp objects to control a crowd outside the airport in Kabul in August 2021. "The violence was indiscriminate," Los Angeles Times photographer Marcus Yam told CNN. "I even watched one Taliban fighter, after firing some shots in the general direction of the crowd, smiling at another Taliban fighter — as though it were a game to them or something."
Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
People sit inside a military aircraft during an evacuation from Kabul in August 2021. The US Air Force <a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/afghanistan-taliban-us-news-08-20-21/h_e066c6b39a904ab84d766a8f77176b1f" target="_blank">evacuated approximately 3,000 people</a> from Kabul's international airport that day, according to a White House official. The official said the group contained nearly 350 US citizens, family members of US citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans. Some civilian charter flights had also departed the Kabul airport in the previous 24 hours.
People sit inside a military aircraft during an evacuation from Kabul in August 2021. The US Air Force evacuated approximately 3,000 people from Kabul's international airport that day, according to a White House official. The official said the group contained nearly 350 US citizens, family members of US citizens, Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans. Some civilian charter flights had also departed the Kabul airport in the previous 24 hours.
Staff Sgt. Brandon Cribelar/US Marine Corps/Reuters
Biden pauses as he listens to a question about <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/26/middleeast/gallery/kabul-deadly-blasts-afghanistan-airport/index.html" target="_blank">a suicide bombing</a> that took place outside the international airport in Kabul in August 2021. The attack killed dozens of Afghan civilians and 13 US service members. The terror group ISIS-K, which rivals the Taliban in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. Biden <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/26/politics/biden-kabul-attack/index.html" target="_blank">vowed to retaliate.</a> "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," he said.
Biden pauses as he listens to a question about a suicide bombing that took place outside the international airport in Kabul in August 2021. The attack killed dozens of Afghan civilians and 13 US service members. The terror group ISIS-K, which rivals the Taliban in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. Biden vowed to retaliate. "We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay," he said.
Evan Vucci/AP
Ruhullah, 16, mourns during <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/world/asia/afghanistan-airport-bombing-family.html" target="_blank" target="_blank">the burial of his father,</a> Hussein, a former police officer who was killed in the suicide bombing at the airport in Kabul. Ruhullah survived the blast but did not know his father had died until he made his way back to his family the next day.
Ruhullah, 16, mourns during the burial of his father, Hussein, a former police officer who was killed in the suicide bombing at the airport in Kabul. Ruhullah survived the blast but did not know his father had died until he made his way back to his family the next day.
Victor J. Blue/The New York Times/Redux
People gather around the incinerated husk of a vehicle that was hit by a US drone strike in Kabul in August 2021. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/29/asia/afghanistan-kabul-evacuation-intl/index.html" target="_blank">Ten members of one family</a> — including seven children — were killed in the strike. In September, a US military investigation found that the vehicle targeted was likely not a threat associated with ISIS-K, according to Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top general of US Central Command. McKenzie told reporters that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/17/politics/kabul-drone-strike-us-military-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank">the strike was a "mistake"</a> and offered an apology.
People gather around the incinerated husk of a vehicle that was hit by a US drone strike in Kabul in August 2021. Ten members of one family — including seven children — were killed in the strike. In September, a US military investigation found that the vehicle targeted was likely not a threat associated with ISIS-K, according to Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top general of US Central Command. McKenzie told reporters that the strike was a "mistake" and offered an apology.
Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Biden and other officials watch as flag-draped cases carrying the remains of American service members killed in Afghanistan <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/29/politics/biden-dover-afghanistan-service-members-killed/index.html" target="_blank">return to the United States</a> in August 2021.
Biden and other officials watch as flag-draped cases carrying the remains of American service members killed in Afghanistan return to the United States in August 2021.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
US Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne, boards a C-17 military transport plane to depart Kabul on August 31, 2021. He was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/politics/us-military-withdraws-afghanistan/index.html" target="_blank">the last US soldier</a> to leave the country.
US Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne, boards a C-17 military transport plane to depart Kabul on August 31, 2021. He was the last US soldier to leave the country.
Jack Holt/U.S. Central Command Public Affairs
Taliban fighters storm the Kabul airport after the US military completed its withdrawal.
Taliban fighters storm the Kabul airport after the US military completed its withdrawal.
Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
20 years in Afghanistan: America's longest war
CNN  — 

Here’s a look at the US War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7, 2001 with allied air strikes on Taliban and al Qaeda targets. The United States linked the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to al Qaeda, a group that operated under the Taliban regime’s protection in Afghanistan.

Timeline

October 7, 2001 - Operation Enduring Freedom begins. US President George W. Bush announces that US and British forces have begun airstrikes on Taliban and al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan. Airstrikes continue for five days.

October 14, 2001 - The Taliban offers to discuss giving Osama bin Laden to a third country for trial if the United States provides evidence of bin Laden’s involvement in the September 11 attacks. The White House rejects the offer.

October 19, 2001 - The Pentagon reports that US forces have searched a compound used by Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. This is the first acknowledged ground action of OEF.

October 26, 2001 - British Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram tells the House of Commons that Britain is deploying a force of 4,200 military personnel to Afghanistan.

November 1, 2001 - Turkey announces it will deploy troops to Afghanistan. Australia and Canada also agree to send forces.

November 5, 2001 - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announces that the United States has more than doubled the number of its troops based in Afghanistan.

November 6, 2001 - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder offers up to 3,900 troops for the effort.

November 7, 2001 - Italy says it will provide 2,700 troops.

November 9, 2001 - The Netherlands announces that they are prepared to send up to 1,400 troops to Afghanistan.

November 13, 2001 - US airstrikes and ground attacks by the anti-Taliban Afghan Northern Alliance lead to the fall of Kabul.

November 16, 2001 - French troops deploy for Afghanistan.

November 20, 2001 - The bodies of four journalists missing in Afghanistan are recovered. The journalists were on the road between Jalalabad and Kabul when their convoy was attacked.

November 22, 2001 - Poland agrees to contribute up to 300 soldiers to OEF.

December 2-5, 2001 - The United Nations hosts the Bonn Conference in Germany. The resulting Bonn Agreement creates an Afghan Interim Authority and outlines a process for creating a new constitution and choosing a new government.

December 7, 2001 - The Taliban loses its last major stronghold as the city of Kandahar falls and opposition forces enter.

December 20, 2001 - The United Nations authorizes the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to provide security support to the Afghans. The United Kingdom agrees to lead the force initially.

December 22, 2001 - Hamid Karzai is sworn in as head of an interim power-sharing government.

January 23, 2002 - Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is abducted in Karachi, Pakistan, by the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, which claims the kidnapping is in retaliation for the detention of Pakistanis at Guantanamo Bay.

January 27, 2002 - Media organizations receive the first email from Pearl’s captors, which includes photos of the reporter handcuffed with a gun to his head.

February 21, 2002 - FBI and Pakistani officials announce they have received a videotape that confirms Pearl has been killed.

March 25, 2002 - Rumsfeld announces that there are plans under way for US and coalition forces to help train and create an Afghan national army.

June 13, 2002 - Karzai is elected to a two-year presidential term by the grand council, a gathering of Afghanistan’s tribal leaders.

August 9, 2003 - NATO assumes responsibility for the ISAF mission.

January 2004 - Afghanistan passes a new constitution by consensus.

October 9, 2004 - Afghanistan’s first direct democratic election is held.

December 7, 2004 - Karzai is sworn in as the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan.

September 18, 2005 - The first parliamentary and provincial elections are held in more than three decades.

March 1, 2006 - Bush makes his first visit to Afghanistan and meets with Karzai.

February 27, 2007 - A suicide bomber blows up a checkpoint at Bagram Air Base, killing more than 20. Taliban insurgents claim US Vice President Dick Cheney was the target of the attack.

February 15, 2007 - Bush calls on NATO to increase troops in Afghanistan. There are already about 50,000 US and NATO troops there.

May 11, 2007 - The Taliban’s top military commander, Mullah Dadullah, is killed in a US-led coalition operation.

July 19, 2008 - Democratic US presidential nominee Barack Obama makes his first visit to Afghanistan.

December 15, 2008 - Bush makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan. It is his second and last visit as president.

February 17, 2009 - Obama approves a troop increase of 17,000 for Afghanistan. There are currently about 38,000 US troops serving in Afghanistan.

June 30, 2009 - US soldier Sgt. Bowe R. Bergdahl is taken hostage by the Taliban. He is released five years later in 2014.

August 20, 2009 - Afghanistan holds its second election. Voting fraud allegations lead to the scheduling of a presidential runoff vote on November 7.

October 31, 2009 - A runoff election is canceled when Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah drops out, leaving Karzai as the only candidate and winner by default.

November 19, 2009 - Karzai is sworn in for a second term as president.

December 1, 2009 - Obama announces the deployment in 2010 of 30,000 additional US troops. This new deployment will bring the US total to almost 100,000 troops, in addition to 40,000 NATO troops.

January 2010 - Representatives from over 60 nations meet in London for the International Conference on Afghanistan, pledging to support the development of the Afghan National Security Forces.

March 28, 2010 - US President Obama makes his first visit to Afghanistan as president.

August 1, 2010 - The Netherlands becomes the first NATO member to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan.

August 5, 2010 - Ten aid workers are killed by gunmen in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Among the dead are six Americans, two Afghans, a Briton and a German.

September 18, 2010 - Parliamentary elections are held. Results are delayed following allegations of fraud.

December 3, 2010 - Obama visits for the third time, the second as president.

May 2, 2011 - In the early morning hours, a small group of US Forces, including Navy Seals, raid a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In the ensuing firefight, bin Laden is killed. DNA samples are taken to confirm his identity, then his body is buried at sea.

June 22, 2011 - Obama announces that all 33,000 additional US forces deployed to Afghanistan in December 2009 will return home within the next 15 months. He also announces that US combat operations in Afghanistan will end by 2014.

July 13, 2011 - The first batch of departing US soldiers leaves Afghanistan. About 650 US soldiers leave the northeastern province of Parwan.

August 6, 2011 - Insurgents shoot down a helicopter in central Afghanistan, killing 30 US coalition members, seven Afghan troops and a civilian interpreter.

August 10, 2011 - NATO announces that Coalition forces in Afghanistan have killed Mullah Mohibullah, the Taliban leader and insurgent responsible for the downing of the helicopter that left 38 US and Afghan personnel dead.

August 2011 - August becomes the deadliest month for US forces in Afghanistan since the conflict began, with 71 US casualties.

September 10, 2011 - Two Afghan civilians are killed, and 77 US troops and 25 Afghan workers are wounded when a Taliban suicide bomber detonates a large vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at the entrance of Combat Outpost Sayed Abad, an ISAF base in Afghanistan’s Wardak province.

September 13, 2011 - Taliban militants open fire near the US Embassy and NATO’s ISAF headquarters after they storm into a nearby abandoned building. Three police officers and one civilian are killed, and security forces kill six militants. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid tells CNN their target is the US Embassy, governmental organizations and other foreign organizations.

February 1, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announces that the US hopes to end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2013, transitioning primarily to a training role.

February 21, 2012 - Violent protests break out in Afghanistan over reports that Qurans were burned at a US military base. A military official says the Qurans were removed from a detainee center library at Bagram Airfield because they had “extremist inscriptions” on them. As of March 2, the unrest has left at least 41 people dead, including six US soldiers, and hundreds wounded.

March 11, 2012 - Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, an American soldier based at Camp Belambay, Afghanistan, goes on a house-to-house shooting spree in two villages in Kandahar province, killing 16 Afghan civilians. In 2013, he is sentenced to life in prison.

April 8, 2012 - The US and Afghanistan sign a landmark deal that gives Afghan authorities an effective veto over special operations night raids. The deal prevents NATO’s ISAF from conducting raids without the permission of Afghan officials.

April 18, 2012 - The Los Angeles Times releases pictures believed to have been taken in 2010 of US 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers posing with the body parts of dead insurgents in Afghanistan.

May 2, 2012 - Obama marks the first anniversary of the death of bin Laden with an unannounced trip to Afghanistan. According to the White House, his speech is the first TV address to the nation from a war zone on foreign soil. Obama and Karzai also sign a strategic partnership agreement for 10 years of US support of Afghanistan after the 2014 troop withdrawal.

June 9, 2012 - French President Francois Hollande announces his plan to withdraw combat forces by year’s end will start next month.

September 1, 2012 - Two suicide bombers strike a joint US-Afghan military base, killing 13 people and injuring 78 others. One bomber attacks the base on foot and another one detonates a truck. No international coalition service members are killed in the attack, but two are wounded. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack.

September 2, 2012 - US Special Operations Forces temporarily suspend training of some 1,000 Afghan local police recruits while they double-check the background of the current police force, following a rise in insider attacks against NATO troops by Afghan forces.

September 14, 2012 - Fifteen insurgents wearing US Army uniforms attack Camp Bastion, a US and British military complex. Fourteen insurgents and two US Marines are killed, nine others are wounded.

September 20, 2012 - US military officials report that the surge of US forces in Afghanistan has ended and the last several hundred surge troops have left the country.

December 2012 - France pulls its last troops engaged directly in combat out of Afghanistan. The remaining French troops, about 1,500, will remain in Afghanistan for approximately six months to remove equipment and to help train Afghan forces.

June 18, 2013 - Afghan National Security Forces formally take over combat operations.

March 12, 2014 - A flag-lowering ceremony is held in Kabul to mark the end of Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan.

May 27, 2014 - President Obama announces that the United States combat mission in Afghanistan will end in December 2014.

September 30, 2014 - The United States and Afghanistan sign a joint security agreement that will allow US troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond the previous December deadline to withdraw.

October 26, 2014 - The United Kingdom formally ends its combat mission in Afghanistan with a flag-lowering ceremony in Helmand province.

December 28, 2014 - The United States and NATO end their combat mission with Afghanistan. In an official ceremony, the commander of the ISAF officially marks the end of coalition combat in Afghanistan by rolling up the ISAF flag.

January 1, 2015 - After more than 13 years of combat operations in Afghanistan, the US begins Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS). The new mission conducts counterterrorism operations targeting terrorist groups like al Qaeda and the local ISIS affiliate and also focuses on building up local Afghan security forces to help fight the Taliban. The new US mission will also assist and coordinate with the new NATO-led mission, Resolute Support.

April 13, 2017 - The US military drops America’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb on ISIS targets in Afghanistan, the first time this type of weapon has been used in battle, according to US officials. Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, said that the bomb was dropped after fighting had intensified over the last week between US Special Forces and Afghan troops against ISIS.

January 27, 2018 - An ambulance packed with explosives blows up on a crowded street in Kabul, killing at least 103 people. The Taliban claim responsibility. https://

February 28, 2018 - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says the government is willing to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate political party as part of a potential ceasefire agreement.

November 9, 2018 - In Moscow, Taliban representatives participate in talks with diplomats from Russia, Pakistan, India and other countries, as well as officials from the Afghan government. The United States sends a diplomat from its embassy in Moscow as an observer.

January 28, 2019 - Officials from the United States and the Taliban announce they have agreed to a framework that could end the war in Afghanistan. The framework for peace would see the Taliban vow to prevent the country from being used as a hub for terrorism in return for a US military withdrawal. An Afghan source close to the negotiations tells CNN that while a ceasefire and US withdrawal were both discussed, neither side came to final conclusions.

February 5-6, 2019 - Talks are held in Moscow between Taliban leaders and politicians from the government of Afghanistan.

March 12, 2019 - Peace talks between representatives from the United States and the Taliban end without a finalized agreement. Zalmay Khalilzad, the main American negotiator, says that progress has been made and the talks yielded two draft proposals.

December 7, 2019 - The United States and the Taliban resume peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha. “On Saturday talks between the Taliban and US started from where they stopped,” Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen says in a tweet.

December 9, 2019 - Confidential documents obtained by The Washington Post reveal that top US officials misled the American public about the war in Afghanistan in order to conceal doubts about the likelihood that the United States could be successful in the nearly 20-year effort since its earliest days, the paper reports. The paper states the interviews “bring into sharp relief the core failings of the war that persist to this day” as “US officials acknowledged that their warfighting strategies were fatally flawed, and that Washington wasted enormous sums of money trying to remake Afghanistan into a modern nation.”

February 29, 2020 - The United States and the Taliban sign a historic agreement which sets into motion the potential of a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” outlines a series of commitments from the US and the Taliban related to troop levels, counterterrorism, and the intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at bringing about “a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”

April 30, 2020 - In the month following the signing of the Trump administration’s peace deal with the Taliban, the insurgent group increased its attacks on America’s Afghan allies to higher than usual levels, according to data provided to the Pentagon’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

November 17, 2020 - Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announces that the US will withdraw thousands more US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq by

March 8, 2021 - In a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to President Ghani, the Biden administration proposes to the Afghan government that they enter an interim power-sharing agreement with the Taliban. Blinken also proposed that Afghanistan’s neighbors, including Iran, take on a greater role and warned that the Biden administration continues to review whether to withdraw US troops by a May 1 deadline set under the Trump administration.

April 14, 2021 - US President Joe Biden formally announces his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan before September 11, 2021, deeming the prolonged and intractable conflict in Afghanistan no longer aligns with American priorities.

August 15, 2021 - After the Taliban seizes control of every major city across Afghanistan, in just two weeks, the Taliban takes control of the presidential palace in Kabul. A senior Afghan official and a senior diplomatic source tell CNN that President Ghani has left the country.

August 16, 2021 - Biden defends his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.

August 26, 2021 - Thirteen US service members and at least 60 Afghans are been killed in two bombing attacks outside Kabul’s airport. ISIS in Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, claims responsibility.

August 30, 2021 - The last US military planes leave Afghanistan. The US departure marks the end of the United States’ longest war.

March 2022 - A congressionally mandated report from the US Department of Defense shows that approximately $7 billion of military equipment the US transferred to the Afghan government over the course of 16 years was left behind in Afghanistan after the US completed its withdrawal from the country in August.

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