After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the war in Afghanistan began. It is difficult to tell briefly about these events, but we will try, dwelling on the most significant facts and moments. And to begin with, a large-scale conflict in its scope can be divided into several large tactical operations:
- Enduring Freedom.
- Operation Anaconda.
- Operation in southern Afghanistan.
The beginning of the operation and the main participants in the conflict
The confrontation has been going on for a long time. In 1989, the Soviet Union left this mountainous country and withdrew the entire military contingent. But after that, peace in the region never came. The threat of terrorism and violence erupted with unprecedented force. A bloody civil war began, which created a danger to the lives of civilians far beyond Afghanistan.
The situation also threatened the Russian Federation. After the collapse of the USSR, the borders between Afghanistan and the new independent countries - Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - were completely opened. Two newly formed Asian countries have become a buffer zone and a conductor of narcotic substances and weapons from Central Asia to our country. The war against terrorism is not over. Russia, despite leaving, was forced to intervene. Help began to be provided to the former enemy of the USSR - the Northern Alliance - in his fight against the Taliban. Despite this, the Taliban pushed our allies to the border of Tajikistan.
NATO's involvement in the conflict and Operation Enduring Freedom
Everything changed in 2001. After the terrorist attack, the United States announced that the goals of the war are to fight terrorism and to cultivate and protect democratic values ​​in the country. The long war of NATO in Afghanistan has begun.
The Northern Alliance, taking advantage of the situation, went on the offensive. Officially, Russia supported the American invasion. Although many in our country perceived NATO intervention in Afghanistan as a threat to national security. At the time of the invasion of the United States and its allies, the Taliban completely controlled the country. Before the conflict, this regime was recognized and supported by such American allies as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Background to the conflict
Why did the war in Afghanistan begin? Briefly about the reasons, we can say the following: on September 11, 2001, a plane hijacked by terrorists crashed into the largest world Trade Center in New York. The twin towers, as they were called around the world, were considered a symbol of the success, prosperity and prosperity of the United States as a powerful economic superpower. This symbol stood on one step with the famous Statue of Liberty. But if the latter symbolizes the political independence and freedom of American citizens, then the towers are economic prosperity. In addition, absolutely all Americans considered their country to be the most calm and safe from external threats. The shock effect surpassed the shock during the Japanese attack on the Pacific Air Force base in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. The myths of the Americans vanished on September 11th. The story was divided into before and after the terrorist attack.
The culprit of the terrible tragedy recognized the organization Al-Qaeda. Its head, Osama bin Laden, was recognized as the No. 1 international terrorist and declared a hunt for him. He hid in Afghanistan with the Taliban. The US and its allies demanded that bin Laden be extradited, but were refused. The Taliban asked for evidence of Al Qaeda’s involvement in the bombings of the Mall in New York. Only after this will a dialogue be possible. NATO war in Afghanistan became inevitable.
Course of war
September 22, 2001 Saudi Arabia and Pakistan completely sever all relations with the Taliban. They are denied military assistance against the Northern Alliance, and NATO is preparing to strike. A huge flow of refugees from Afghanistan to Pakistan is growing.
Military operations began on October 7, 2001 with air attacks. The first to destroy the insignificant anti-aircraft weapons of the Taliban. Forty American and British Air Force aircraft launched a massive bombardment of strategic targets. At the same time, the fleet began launching cruise missiles at the enemy, and special units of the ground forces began a ground operation.
The Taliban claimed that they were effectively fighting air raids, and even showed a fragment of a helicopter landing gear, allegedly shot down by air defense systems. But the central command denied this information, saying that the combat helicopter SN-47 hit a rock. The car remained in service, but lost the chassis in a collision.
The only channel that covered events from both warring parties was the Qatari Al Jazeera. The Taliban did not allow other media outlets to come close.
The main role in the war belonged to strike aircraft. Powerful B-1B, B-2, B-52 bombers were involved. Used large bombs, including the most powerful non-nuclear charge "Desiccatter." A month later, all Taliban aviation was destroyed, the rear was blown up, the army suffered significant losses. This led to the intensification of the Northern Alliance, which switched to a counteroffensive. On November 9, the large city of Mazar-e-Sharif was taken.
Having suffered its first major defeat, the Taliban movement suddenly began to disintegrate. Many large units began to move to the side of the alliance. By mid-November, almost the entire territory of Afghanistan was surrendered by the Taliban. On November 13, they surrendered Kabul, which has been held since 1996. Only the large city of Kunduz in the north remained in their hands. The main forces concentrated in the south. At the end of November, this militant center was taken with fights.
Conflict is the cause of social crisis
The aftermath of the war led to serious humanitarian problems. The conflict divided a single country into two warring camps. The air raids of the Americans, with all the accuracy of their weapons, could not but lead to casualties among civilians. The population was between a rock and a hard place, between the Taliban and the forces of the alliance. The war undermined the economy, infrastructure, and the unified healthcare system. Humanitarian cargo dropped from aircraft was clearly not enough. Their distribution was inefficient. Cargo often fell into the hands of the military and did not reach the population. There were many wounded, seriously ill. They needed help, hospitalization. In the conditions of military operations it was almost impossible to do. Many mothers gave birth on the road, without qualified assistance. Often during the transportation of patients, people were bombarded from both warring parties.
There was a sharp discussion of the need for the work of the International Red Cross. Taliban leaders allowed this organization to work on its territory. They declared their readiness to help people, not to impede the missions of international charitable and medical organizations. This is also recorded in the NATO charter. However, frequent shelling and bombing made their work difficult. Civilians continued to endure all the horrors of war.
US Marines
By the end of November, the only large city remained in the hands of the Taliban - Kandahar. He was considered the cradle of the Taliban, and his loss undermined the morale of the militants. There was also a spiritual leader - Mullah Omar. From the ships stationed in the Arabian Sea near Kandahar, the first marines were landed. Only a thousand people. The NATO war in Afghanistan has acquired a ground-based appearance.
The Taliban tried to push the infantrymen away from the city, introducing all the available armored vehicles into the battle, but an air attack by helicopters destroyed this group. Artillery and air strikes worsened the situation in Kandahar. Marines did not participate in serious hostilities. In early December, Mullah Omar surrendered the city with the remaining forces. Some of the militants left for Pakistan, the rest, including the spiritual leader, hid in the mountains. The surrender of Kandahar is considered the end of the main stage of hostilities.
Now all the attention of the NATO forces was riveted on the powerful center of Thor-Bohr. It posed a serious danger to the coalition, since since the war of the USSR in Afghanistan it had a serious cave network, was well fortified and had secret paths for reinforcement approaches. According to intelligence, it was here that terrorist No. 1, Osama bin Laden, took refuge. The main hostilities were fought by the Afghan National Army with the support of the United Kingdom and the United States Air Force . The military operation ended successfully for the coalition: the Torah-Bora was taken, but Osama bin Laden was not found. Before the attack, he left the fortified area.
Despite the fact that the main terrorist managed to escape, the leadership of NATO and the United States announced a successful mission in Afghanistan. The main forces of the Taliban movement were defeated, all major military centers were taken, and power in the country was transferred to the pro-Western politician Hamid Karzai. He became the head of the transition period in 2001 and the interim president in 2002.
To maintain peace and prosperity in the country, a UN Security Council resolution of December 20, 2001 was adopted. According to the document, an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is being created on the basis of the North Atlantic Alliance. Initially, the organization was supposed to operate only within Kabul.
Anti-terrorist operation
The most famous in the history of the official war against terrorism was Operation Anaconda. Al-Qaeda is declared an official adversary of NATO.
After taking the largest strategic centers - Kandahar and Tora Bora - groups of militants left for the southeast of the country. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, in early 2002, large-scale terrorist forces regrouped in the Shahi-Kot region and were preparing to strike a coalition. NATO leaders decided to launch a preemptive strike.
Counter-terrorist operations against al-Qaeda were planned according to the proven scheme of "hammers and anvils." On the one hand, pro-Western Afghan forces must strike, and elite US special forces close the withdrawal to militants.
Operation Anaconda took place from March 2 to March 18, 2002. The American command miscalculated tactically, underestimating the military power of the enemy. Al Qaeda was well prepared for defense and put up strong resistance. The initial plan of the “hammer and the anvil” had to be abandoned, because it was necessary to improvise at the scene of the fighting. Already on March 4, a special forces detachment was ambushed on the Takur-Gar mountain range. One heavy transport helicopter MN-47E was lost, and the other two were seriously damaged.
After such losses, the Americans inflicted powerful airstrikes on the Takur-Ghar region. But the main forces left this mountainous region. Those who remained died from air strikes. After that, the ground forces captured Shahi-Kot.
Operation Summary
NATO command announced serious successes during Operation Anaconda. But the war against terrorism continued. The military themselves were perplexed by such statements. They could not understand why powerful airstrikes were not undertaken before the tragedy in the Takur-Gar gorge. Why the interaction between the ground group and the Air Force was not debugged. According to official figures, eight special forces soldiers were killed during the operation, 80 were injured. These are the largest clashes between US ground forces and militants in Afghanistan. According to various sources, al-Qaeda lost from a hundred to a thousand people. But, despite this, the main Taliban forces remained in service and moved to the border with Pakistan. For all the years of the war in Afghanistan, the battle in the Takur-Gar gorge was the most serious among the Americans in this war.
Al Qaeda is gaining strength
On the Afghan-Pakistani border was the so-called "tribal zone" - a mountainous inaccessible territory that was never controlled by official authorities. During the war against the USSR, the Taliban effectively used it to train mercenaries. In 2004, under pressure from the United States, Pakistan tried to take control of the border. But stumbled upon the powerful resistance of the tribal militia.
It was here that the Taliban strengthened, gathered all their forces together and began to plan military operations. The war strategy has also changed. The country was divided into several districts. Each assigned a field commander with his army. A warning system was established between them. The NATO war in Afghanistan has taken an unexpected turn.
The Taliban began to carry out the tactics of individual attacks and minor attacks. The ongoing counter-terrorist operations, such as the Mongoose in January 2013, although they did tangible damage to the Taliban, did not change the overall picture. Major attacks began to boom in almost every major city. Danger also threatened Kabul. On June 7, there was an explosion. The suicide bomber blew himself up with German soldiers. International security assistance forces began to suffer losses. Taliban fortifications have led some shadow governors to be appointed in some southern provinces. Such provinces became Nangarhar, Kunar, Paktia, Paktika.
But political and economic life was gradually getting better. A new Constitution was adopted in Afghanistan in January 2004, and the first democratic presidential elections were held in October. They became Hamid Karzai. Of course, without the support of Western countries, the Afghan leader would hardly have been able to maintain power. In the south of Kabul, the Taliban increasingly acquired real power. Guerrilla warfare tactics bore fruit.
In response, the UN Security Council expanded ISAF activities beyond Kabul. In 2005, the conflict escalated. A total of 17 Spanish soldiers died. The helicopter on which they patrolled the neighborhood was shot down. Also this year, the NATO forces lost one helicopter MN-47, 16 special forces soldiers, about 50 marines in different parts of the country. Other members of the international coalition also suffered losses.
Operation in South Afghanistan
The year 2006 was marked by the introduction of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan. The offensive itself was accompanied by a constant political struggle within the Alliance. The fact is that the NATO operation in Afghanistan took place with diplomatic accusations of the participating countries in their unwillingness to fight. Thus, Great Britain and Canada sharply accused the Netherlands and Germany of abandoning a large-scale offensive to the south. Although the Dutch and Germans did not refuse to participate in the conflict as part of the ISAF, they tried to protect themselves from major attacks.
However, the NATO offensive operation in Afghanistan, despite the contradictions, nevertheless took place. During the operations “Mountain Breakthrough” and “Medusa”, about 2 thousand Taliban were destroyed. But the Alliance also suffered losses. So, in one battle, Canada lost 21 soldiers - more than during the entire operation in this country.
In February 2007, Musa Kala was taken by the Taliban. And only by December did the new Afghan army manage to drive the militants out of the city. It should be noted that the opponents of the Americans were left without their spiritual leader. Six months earlier, in May, Mullah Dadullah was killed. Perhaps this caused the defeat of the Taliban.
In 2007, the most inhuman incident of all the years of the war in Afghanistan occurred. A suicide bomber blew up an American jeep with marines. This happened in Shinwar County on March 4. In response, the marines fired indiscriminately at the Afghan civilian population. The victims of the attack were more than 20 dead citizens.
On August 2, 2007, during an erroneous airstrike in Baghran County, about 200 people died.
Taliban counterattack
Military action was a dead end for NATO. After the offensive in the south, European countries flatly refused to take part in the conflict. The Alliance’s reputation as a powerful military bloc has been shaken. The US, by pressure and threats, tried to keep European countries from withdrawing their troops. There was a rhetoric “we will keep NATO from collapse”, “we will not allow the Alliance to disintegrate”. Only a powerful ideology made it possible to glue at least a little disparate coalition forces. The fighting between the participating countries was not coordinated, intelligence was not transmitted. Each had his own war strategy. And no one saw the ultimate goal of the confrontation, the final victory. This undermined each other's trust. Leading European politicians have spoken critically about NATO. For example, the former Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that the Taliban began to use the same tactics of warfare as they had against Soviet soldiers in their time. Averting the main forces to the Pakistan border, they occupied the defense in small detachments. Then, the entire main attack by aircraft and artillery came in empty areas. After that, the main forces of the militants, which caused serious damage to the international coalition, were pulled from the Pakistan border. So, several such attacks were in the province of Helmand near Pakistan. The Allies tactically lost in that they did not take control of the border. This error led to similar results.
War Results
War in Afghanistan 2001-2014 led to the following results:
- The political stabilization of the country has not been achieved. The head of Afghanistan, H. Karzai, announced that he would not be able to restrain the country without NATO troops.
- Losses of the Alliance. During the operation “Enduring Freedom”, about 2.5 thousand people died. More than half of them are Americans.
- Increased opium production. According to preliminary UN data, poppy production increased 40 times during NATO’s stay in Afghanistan.
The United States, of course, cites the positive aspects of the conflict. So, according to the American leader Barack Obama, a political order has been put in place in Afghanistan. The power of the Taliban is overthrown. But if you quote the head of this mountainous country, then the very day after the withdrawal of coalition troops, the Taliban will again seize power in Afghanistan. Also among the positive aspects of the war is the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. He was eliminated on May 2, 2011 during a special operation in Pakistan. But in order to destroy the terrorist number 1, it was not necessary to send troops to Pakistan. A similar operation could be carried out in Afghanistan without unnecessary casualties among the civilian population.
Thus, all military experts recognize the failed NATO mission in Afghanistan. Americans seem to be at an impasse that is difficult to break without losing a reputation.