This dyad belongs to the conflict Afghanistan - United Kingdom, United States of America
Summary of conflict Afghanistan - United Kingdom, United States of America
After the Taleban seized Kabul on 28 September 1996 and proclaimed the Islamic State of Afghanistan, conflict against the ousted government UIFSA (United Islamic Front for Salvation of Afghanistan), also known as the Northern Alliance, continued. In 2001, the Taleban controlled over 95 percent of Afghanistan, and UIFSA, only controlling a small territory in northern Afghanistan, was almost defeated. However, the balance of forces changed drastically with the entrance of the US-led multinational coalition into the conflict.
The US approach to the Taleban regime had drastically changed on 11 September 2001, when New York and Washington became targets for terrorist-actions carried out by the Afghanistan-based Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaida, organization. Following the refusal of the Taleban regime to surrender Usama bin Laden, USA and UK launched Operation Enduring Freedom on 7 October 2001. Speaking from the White House, President Bush said that the operation aimed to "disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime." The interstate conflict ended in victory on 12 November, when UIFSA, in coordination with the USA and UK, captured Kabul.
The launch of Operation Enduring Freedom, and the fall of the Taleban
After the Taleban seized Kabul on 28 September 1996 and proclaimed the Islamic State of Afghanistan, conflict against the ousted government UIFSA (United Islamic Front for Salvation of Afghanistan), also known as the Northern Alliance, continued. In 2001, the Taleban controlled over 95 percent of Afghanistan, and UIFSA, only controlling a small territory in northern Afghanistan, was almost defeated. However, the balance of forces changed drastically with the entrance of the US-led multinational coalition into the conflict.
USA’s, approach to the Afghan civil war had been somewhat ambiguous since the conflict did not directly threaten US national security interests. Its approach to the conflict and the Taleban regime drastically changed on 11 September 2001, when New York and Washington became targets for terrorist-actions blamed on the Afghanistan-based Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaida, organization. Following the refusal of the Taleban regime to surrender Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaida associates USA launched a major military buildup directed at Afghanistan. At the political level, USA, together with the United Kingdom, started to consolidate an anti-terrorist coalition. Under considerable pressure even Pakistan, the strongest backer of the Taleban regime, reversed its policy and agreed to cooperate with the USA-led coalition. Both Pakistan and Uzbekistan agreed to grant US forces access to their air bases. Inside Afghanistan, UIFSA engaged in talks with the US government on how they could participate in the offensive against the Taleban regime.
On 6 October 2001, the rhetoric shifted and USA and UK stated that they sought to topple the Taleban regime. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said “I assure you of a complete determination to be successful in this action against the terrorists and the Taliban regime, which we will continue until we are successful” and the following day, on 7 October, they launched military strikes against Afghanistan. Speaking from the White House, President Bush said that Operation Enduring Freedom aimed to "disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime." As the month progressed the US forces widened their attacks from fixed targets to mobile targets, and US Special Forces were deployed on the ground. Officially, the US government had held a certain distance from UIFSA. In November, the US airstrikes started to hit the Taleban front lines, indicating that the US after some initial hesitation was prepared to facilitate UIFSA’s capture of Kabul. During the first weeks of November, UIFSA achieved important territorial gains. It re-captured the important cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat. Faced with the imminent collapse of the Taleban regime, the government and military withdrew from Kabul to its traditional stronghold in Kandahar. UIFSA entered Kabul on 12 November, meeting only sporadic resistance from foreign mercenaries.
