US-led invasion of Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom)
- Date
- 7 October 2001
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- Afghanistan
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
On 7 October 2001 a US-led coalition launched air strikes on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, opening Operation Enduring Freedom less than a month after the September 11 attacks.
The campaign aimed to destroy al-Qaeda, which was based in the country, and to topple the Taliban government that had sheltered Osama bin Laden. British forces joined the bombing, with logistical support from other allies and ground operations by the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. Kabul fell on 13 November 2001, and the last Taliban stronghold of Kandahar collapsed in early December. Although the conventional war was swift, bin Laden escaped during the Battle of Tora Bora, and the conflict evolved into a prolonged insurgency. The intervention began the longest war in US history, lasting until the chaotic American withdrawal and Taliban return to power in 2021.
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- Fall of Saigon and reunification of Vietnam30 April 1975 (reunified 1976)
- Khmer Rouge Seize Cambodia and Declare Year Zero1975
Further reading
The wider story
Empires of the Silk Road: A History of Central Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the Present
Bold single-volume history placing the steppe and Silk Road at the center of Eurasia.
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