Why is America there, and what happens when it leaves?

(CNN) – The President Joe Biden’s promise to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan before 9/11 Ending America’s Longest War – Each of the last four presidents has done something.

The deadline for Biden’s withdrawal is significant: September 11, 2021, 20 years after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, which led the United States to target Afghanistan first.

More than 2,300 U.S. military lives have been lost in those two decades, tens of thousands of U.S. wounded, countless Afghan casualties and more than $ 2 trillion in taxpayers’ money spent.

After all, the last American soldiers to leave, some of whom were born after the 9/11 attacks, will leave parts of Afghanistan under the control of the same repressive Taliban leaders that existed in 2001.

Here is a brief attempt to bring that 20-year war to the fore.

Where did the Taliban come from?

The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s and eventually retreated after protests by militants known as the Mujahideen. Among them was Osama bin Laden. The United States withdrew its weapons and aided these anti-Soviet forces. But in the post-Soviet power vacuum, the Taliban were formed under the leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar, who wanted to create an Islamic society, expel foreign influences such as television and music from the country, and impose a repressive version of Islamic law. Especially severe on women. In 2001, they controlled almost the entire country.

Why did the US first invade Afghanistan?

It was not the Taliban in Afghanistan, the regional Islamic military and political force, that attacked the United States on September 11, but Al Qaeda, the international terrorist network.

But the masterminds of the attack, including Osama bin Laden, were operating under the cover of the Taliban, who refused to hand over bin Laden after the attack.

Was there bipartisan support for the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan?

The support was almost unanimous. A week after September 11, the military effort began with the authority of a resolution authorizing “the use of military force.” Only one legislator, Barbara Lee, a representative from California, objected. The resolution was originally used to authorize operations in Afghanistan, but since then presidents have relied on it to act in at least 37 different countries. Research Service of Congress.

What did President George W. Bush say when the United States invaded Afghanistan?

The US-led invasion, with the help of NATO allies, was specifically designed as a step in the war on terror.

“These carefully targeted measures are designed to destabilize the use of Afghanistan as a base for terrorist activities and to attack the military capabilities of the Taliban regime,” he said, noting that the name of the operation “prolongs independence.” Can wage a protracted war.

“Since 9/11, a whole generation of young Americans have gained a new understanding of the value of freedom and its cost and duty and sacrifice,” he later said.

Since then, a new generation of Americans has been born and the war that began that day has erupted, often in the background, not receiving much attention from the majority of the public.

How many players have there been in Afghanistan in the last 20 years?

The number is volatile. President Barack Obama has promised to reconsider the US military in Iraq, where Bush has invaded. During the Obama administration, about 100,000 US troops were sent to Afghanistan. Obama sought to end US war operations in Afghanistan in 2014, but left more troops in the country than he had planned. His successor, Donald Trump, greatly reduced the number of new US troops and sent them there before engaging in peace talks with the Taliban.

How many American soldiers die each year in Afghanistan?

2009 was the worst year since the rise of Obama. 2010 was the worst year for the United States and its NATO allies. American casualties have been very low since the end of major war operations in the United States. In the United States and NATO 2014.

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When did this change from an attempt to attack Al Qaeda?

At the end of 2001, bin Laden crossed into parts of Afghanistan and entered Pakistan, where he remained in hiding for almost a decade until he was killed by naval special forces (naval seals) in May 2011.

How is Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban today?

CNN’s Nick Patton Walsh He visited parts of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban that were the scene of American and British deaths a decade ago. He and his CNN team found women who could not go out.

Patton Walsh writes: While Kabul and the center of most major cities are largely under government control, vast areas of rural Afghanistan are ruled by insurgents and different factions of the Taliban. For more than five years in Musa Gala, they have imposed their own rules despite constant clashes with Afghan security forces in southern Helmand province.

“At the end of the day, the Taliban have power,” said one resident. “You can’t really go against your will.”

What exactly is the US trying to achieve in Afghanistan?

The stated goal of US involvement is not to liberate women oppressed by the Taliban or to end that regime. In fact, the United States has been involved in peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government for years.

The simple explanation for the US target in Afghanistan is to prevent it from becoming a destination again for terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda. For example, when the United States withdrew from Iraq, the power vacuum escalated ISIS Over there.

But what the US is trying to achieve in Afghanistan, the strategy for doing so has changed with each president.

The lack of that purpose is reflected in an internal government study, the Afghanistan Papers, which was discovered and published in 2015. Washington Post This suggests that government leaders have long misled Americans about what can be done in Afghanistan.

In unpublished interviews, U.S. military leaders told government observers that the United States was not ready for Afghanistan and that the American people were unaware of the “inaction level” of waging war.

Will US soldiers be released in Afghanistan after September 11, 2021?

There will be very few U.S. troops, and they will focus on assisting U.S. diplomats. The exact number is not clear. It is not entirely clear whether US special operations forces will play any role in Afghanistan.

What if conditions in Afghanistan deteriorate from now until September?

Biden’s decision is said to be final and not “conditional”. This is going to happen.

What was the reaction to Biden’s decision?

There is bipartisan opposition.

“We are helping our adversaries by returning the country with a gift wrap to celebrate the anniversary of the September 11 attacks,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told a full Senate meeting Wednesday.

Senator Jean Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, tweeted as news of Biden’s plans began to spread: “This undermines our commitment to the Afghan people, especially Afghan women.”

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Who supports Biden’s decision?

There is support, especially from progressives and democrats.

“I think President Biden has come up with a plan carefully and thoughtfully,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told John Berman on CNN’s “New Day”. Look, John, the president does not want endless wars. I do not want endless wars. Neither do the American people.

“Every year, military leaders tell Congress and the American people that we are finally turning a corner in Afghanistan, but in the end we have only entered into a vicious cycle,” Mass. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement.

Although the former president did not intervene, it is in line with Trump’s goal to leave Afghanistan.

What will happen after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces?

While the United States continues to push for a peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, September may now be the real deadline for those talks. Biden ignores military commanders who fear the Taliban will invade the Afghan government once the U.S. firefight is over. An assessment of the U.S. intelligence community released on Tuesday shares those concerns.

“The Taliban are likely to advance on the battlefield. The Afghan government will fight to retain the Taliban if the coalition withdraws its support.” Official assessment of global threats.

Why is Biden determined to withdraw the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops?

In his speech on Wednesday, Biden said on his ground that no US forces could stop the Taliban or end the war.

“It simply came to our notice then that we did not have 98,000 U.S. troops on the ground,” he said. [a los actuales] We don’t think they will change the rules of the game, “a source told CNN’s Christian Amanpur.

The United States will continue to use diplomatic and monetary foreign exchange. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.