The War in Afghanistan

Map of Afghanistan

9/11• In September 2001,

terrorists from al-Qaeda carried out attacks on targets in the United States, including the World Trade Centre buildings in New York.

• 3000 people died in the attacks

Osama Bin Laden

• The man responsible for inspiring the attacks was Osama Bin Laden, head of al-Qaeda, whose terrorist base was in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda• Means ‘The Base’• set up around 1989• Islamist group• Led by Osama bin Laden• Has bases in Pakistan,

Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen

• Uses suicide attacks and bombings

• Supports a jihad (struggle)• Jihad (‘holy war’) against

enemies of Islam

Al-Qaeda

• Believes that all foreign influences should be removed from Muslim countries

• Believes in creating a new Muslim caliphate (a state with a purely Muslim government)

• Believes that Christians and Jews are out to destroy Islam

• Directs attacks mainly at the USA and the UK, but also against countries that have moved away from the true ideals of Islam.

Attacks on Afghanistan

• The USA immediately started bomb attacks against the terrorists in Afghanistan and against the Taleban government which was supporting them

ISAF

• By December 2001, the Taleban had been defeated.

• In January 2002, an international peacekeeping force came in (ISAF), agreed by the UN.

NATO takes over

• In 2003, NATO took over command of the ISAF

• Since then Afghanistan has had a new government elected and re-elected in 2009

President Hamid Karzai

The Taleban returns

• British troops have been fighting the Taleban in southern Afghanistan since 2005

• The Taleban want all foreign troops out of Afghanistan and want to govern the country again

Helmand Province

2011

• In 2011, there are about 67,700 ISAF troops in Afghanistan.

• They are backed by about 93,000 Afghan troops and about 80,000 trained Afghan police.

• The USA provides around 32,000 troops and Britain contributes 9,000.

Ministry of Defence | Fact Sheets | Operations Factsheets | Operations in Afghanistan: Why we are there

Military CasualtiesYear USA UK Other Total2001 12 0 0 122002 29 3 17 692003 48 0 9 572004 52 1 6 592005 99 1 31 1312006 98 39 54 1912007 117 42 73 2322008 155 51 88 2942009 226 82 76 384Total 856 219 354 1429