After 16 Years of War, What’s Happening in Afghanistan?
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Monday marked the 6,000th day of the war in Afghanistan, and with the U.S. ramping up its military presence to support the Afghan government’s campaign against the Taliban insurgency we wanted to breakdown where things stand.
How has the U.S. mission in Afghanistan evolved?
The war in Afghanistan began in October 2001 with the goal of defeating Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban government, which allowed the terror group led by Osama bin Laden to operate freely within its territory and ultimately launch the September 11 attacks.
While the Taliban was quickly removed from power by the U.S.-led coalition, many of its members survived the initial invasion and started an insurgency targeting coalition forces and the fledgling Afghan government in the years after 2001.
In response the U.S. deployed more troops to fight the Taliban, as troop levels surpassed 20,000 for the first time in 2004 and rose to about 30,000 by the end of George W. Bush’s presidency. In an effort to counter gains made by the Taliban, President Barack Obama increased troop levels to 100,000 in 2011.
During his second term as president Obama began a drawdown of U.S. military personnel, reducing troop levels to about 10,000 in 2015 when the combat mission was declared over and remaining troops largely focused on training Afghan security forces.
Over the course of the campaign more than 2,200 Americans have been killed and thousands more wounded. Casualties among U.S. troops reached their peak at 499 killed in 2010, and have declined into double digits annually since 2014.
What’s happening now?
Since 2015, the Taliban insurgency has stepped up in intensity and terror groups such as ISIS and the Haqqani network have been increasingly active in Afghanistan.
Since the election of President Donald Trump, the U.S. has adopted a more aggressive strategy in Afghanistan — increasing troop levels to about 16,000 personnel.
Most of the U.S. personnel now in Afghanistan are providing training and assistance to the Afghan military rather than engaging in direct combat, although increasing numbers of special operators are active in the field providing assistance with airstrikes.
What is the endgame?
After more than 16 years of war against the Taliban it’s unlikely that the U.S.-led coalition will be able deliver a decisive victory over the insurgency.
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has said that victory in Afghanistan will ultimately come through peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
What do you think the U.S. should do about Afghanistan and the Taliban? Hit Take Action to tell your reps, then join the conversation below!
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: gorodenkoff / iStock)
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