The

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

was engaged in a

war in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

following the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

from October 7, 2001, to August 30, 2021, as a part of the

war on terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...

. Participants in the initial American operation,

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

, included a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

whose initial goals were to train the

Afghan National Security Forces The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), also known as the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), were the military and internal security forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Structure The Afghan National Security Forc ...

(ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions after the fall of the

Taliban regime The government of Afghanistan, officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the central government of Afghanistan, a unitary state. Under the leadership of the Taliban, the government is a theocracy and an emirate with political powe ...

in December 2001. However, coalition forces were gradually involved in the broader war as well, as Taliban resistance continued until 2021, when they regained control of the country and formed a new government. This is a list of known code names and related information for

military operation A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations may ...

s associated with the war, including operations to airlift citizens of coalition countries and at-risk Afghan civilians from Afghanistan as the war drew to a close.

Background

From May 1996,

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

had been living in Afghanistan along with other members of

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

, operating

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

training camps in a loose

alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

with the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

. Following the

1998 US embassy bombings The 1998 United States embassy bombings were attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998. More than 200 people were killed in nearly simultaneous truck bomb explosions in two East African cities, one at the United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam ...

in Africa, the US military launched cruise missiles at these camps with limited effect on their overall operations. A follow-on plan, Operation Infinite Resolve, was planned but not implemented. The

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...

issued Resolutions 1267 and

1333 Year 1333 ( MCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * May 18 – Siege of Kamakura in Japan: Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo, led by Nitta Y ...

in 1999 and 2000, respectively, applying financial and military hardware sanctions to encourage the Taliban to turn over bin Laden to appropriate authorities for trial in the

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

bombings, as well as to close terrorist training camps. After the

September 11, 2001, attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

, investigators rapidly accumulated evidence implicating bin Laden. In a taped statement released in 2004, bin Laden publicly acknowledged his and al-Qaeda's direct involvement in the attacks. In an

audiotape An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present- ...

posted on a website that the US claims is "frequently used by al-Qaeda," on May 21, 2006, bin Laden said that he had personally directed the 19 hijackers.

2001: War begins

The war in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as

, in response to the 9/11 attacks. This conflict marked the beginning of the US

. The stated purpose of the invasion was to capture Osama bin Laden, destroy

, and remove the

, which had provided them support and safe harbor. In December, the Taliban government fell and a

transitional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

was established.

Coalition operations

Operation Crescent Wind Operation Crescent Wind was the codename for the American and British air campaign over Afghanistan in October and November 2001. The bombing campaign was aided by British special forces troops on the ground to provide targeting information for ...

*Operation Relentless Strike *

Operation Rhino Operation Rhino was a raid led by the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment (Regimental Reconnaissance Company) and (3rd Ranger Battalion), who were led by Colonel Joseph Votel, and other SOCOM units on several Taliban targets in and around K ...

Battles

Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif The fall of Mazar-i-Sharif (or Mazar-e-Sharif) in November 2001 resulted from the first major offensive of the Afghanistan War after American intervention. A push into the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh Province by the United Islamic Front ...

Siege of Kunduz The siege of Kunduz took place in 2001 during the War in Afghanistan. After the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif on 9 November, the focus of the Northern Alliance advance shifted towards the city of Kunduz, which was the last remaining Taliban stronghold ...

Fall of Kabul (2001) Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, fell in November 2001 to the Northern Alliance forces during the War in Afghanistan. Northern Alliance forces began their attack on the city on 13 November and made swift progress against Taliban forces that were ...

2001 uprising in Herat The 2001 uprising in Herat was a coordinated insurrection and uprising in the Afghan city of Herat as part of the United States war in Afghanistan. The city was captured on November 12 by Northern Alliance forces as well as Special Forces of t ...

Battle of Tarin Kowt The Battle of Tarinkot took place in 2001 during the War in Afghanistan. On November 14, 2001, ODA 574 and Hamid Karzai inserted into Uruzgan Province via 4 MH-60K helicopters with a small force of guerrillas. In response to the approach of Karza ...

Fall of Kandahar The Fall of Kandahar took place in 2001 during the War in Afghanistan. After the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul and Herat, Kandahar was the last major city under Taliban control. Kandahar was where the Taliban movement had originated and where it ...

Battle of Qala-i-Jangi The Battle of Qala-i-Jangi (sometimes also referred to as the "Battle of Mazar-i-Sharif") was a six-day military engagement following an uprising of prisoners-of-war on November 25, 2001. The battle took place between November 25 and December 1 ...

Battle of Tora Bora The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in the cave complex of Tora Bora, eastern Afghanistan, from December 6–17, 2001, during the opening stages of the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was launched by the ...

2002 operations

Coalition operations

Operation Anaconda Operation Anaconda was a military operation that took place in early March 2002 as part of the War in Afghanistan. CIA paramilitary officers, working with their allies, attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation took place ...

(includes Operation Harpoon, and the

Battle of Takur Ghar The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and al-Qaeda insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain in Afghanistan. For the U.S. side, the battle proved ...

) * Operation Glock * Operation Polar Harpoon *

Operation Jacana Operation Jacana is the codename for a series of operations carried out by coalition forces in Afghanistan. The operations were carried out most notably by 45 Commando Royal Marines. U.S. forces, Australian SAS and Norwegian FSK also participa ...

** Operation Ptarmigan ** Operation Snipe **

Operation Condor Operation Condor ( es, link=no, Operación Cóndor, also known as ''Plan Cóndor''; pt, Operação Condor) was a United States–backed campaign of political repression and state terror involving intelligence operations and assassination of o ...

** Operation Buzzard *Operation Mountain Lion *Operation Mountain Sweep

Insurgent attacks

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

2003 operations

Operation Mongoose The Cuban Project, also known as Operation Mongoose, was an extensive campaign of terrorist attacks against civilians and covert operations carried out by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in Cuba. It was officially authorized on November ...

* Operation Tsunami * Operation Eagle Fury * Operation Haven Denial *

Operation Athena Operation Athena was the Canadian Forces' contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The operation was divided in two phases: the first one took place from July 2003 to July 2005 in the Kabul region and the s ...

* Operation Warrior Sweep *

Operation Mountain Resolve Operation Mountain Resolve was launched by a coalition led by the United States on 7 November 2003 in the Nuristan province and Kunar province in Afghanistan. It involved an airdrop into the Hindu Kush mountains by the 10th Mountain Division (Unit ...

Operation Mountain Viper In Operation Mountain Viper, the United States Army and the Afghan National Army (nearly 1000 in number) worked together from August 30 to early September, 2003, to uncover hundreds of suspected Taliban rebels dug into the mountains of Daychopan d ...

Operation Avalanche Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...

Operation Headstrong Operation Headstrong involved the training of Afghan commandos in a grouping called the Afghan Special Narcotics Force (ASNF) by British special forces, including the Special Air Service, to seek out and destroy drug laboratories and to confisca ...

2004 operations

Operation Asbury Park Operation Asbury Park was a deployment, on June 2, 2004, and June 17, 2004, of taskforce 1/6 BLT of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit engaged Taliban and other anti-coalition forces in both Oruzgan Province and Zabul Province culminating in the ...

*Operation Asbury Park II *Operation Flashman *Operation Headstrong *Operation Lightning Resolve *Operation Mountain Blizzard *Operation Mountain Storm

2005 operations

Operation Archer Operation Archer is the Canadian Forces contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larg ...

*Operation Argus *Operation Spurs *Operation Mavericks *Operation Celtics *

Operation Red Wings Operation Red Wings (often incorrectly referred to as ''Operation Redwing'' or ''Operation Red Wing''), informally referred to as the Battle of Abbas Ghar, was a joint military operation conducted by the United States in the Pech District ...

* Operation Red Wings II * Operation Whalers

2006 operations

In January 2006, NATO's focus in southern Afghanistan was to form Provincial Reconstruction Teams with the British leading in Helmand Province and the Netherlands and Canada leading similar deployments in Orūzgān Province and Kandahar Province, respectively. The Americans remained in control of Zabul Province. Local Taliban figures voiced opposition to the incoming force and pledged to resist it.

Battles

Battle of Lashkagar The Friendly fire incident at Sangin was a military incident that took place on March 29, 2006. Afghan insurgents mounted an assault on a forward operating base in Helmand province near the town of Lashkar Gah, which had been opened only six w ...

Battle of Panjwaii The Battle of Panjwaii was fought in mid-2006 with primarily Canadian and Afghan soldiers, supported by small elements of Dutch, American, and British forces against the Taliban. There were two separate times in which the forces were involved in ...

Siege of Sangin The siege of Sangin was a military engagement which occurred between June 2006 and April 2007, between Taliban insurgents and the British Army in Afghanistan. In the engagement the district centre of Sangin District in Helmand Province was oc ...

* Battle of Nawzad * Operation Cobra Strike

2007 operations

US and NATO

ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

operations, alongside Afghan National Army forces, continued against the Taliban in 2007. Significant military operations in 2007 included operations around

Sangin Sangin ( ps, سنگين) is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 20,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at altitude, to the north-east of Lashkargah. Sangin is notorious as on ...

Operation Achilles Operation Achilles was a NATO operation, part of the War in Afghanistan. Its objective was to clear Helmand province of the Taliban. The operation began on March 6, 2007. The offensive is the largest NATO-based operation in Afghanistan to date ...

, the

Battle of Chora The Battle of Chora took place in and around the town of Chora (3,000 inhabitants), in Afghanistan's Uruzgan Province, from June 15 to 19, 2007. The fighting was between ISAF and Afghan forces on one side and Taliban forces on the other, for t ...

Operation Harekate Yolo Operation Harekate Yolo ( Persian for ''front straightening'') was a two-part military operation involving NATO ISAF and Afghanistan government forces against the Taliban as part of the War in Afghanistan. In late October 2007, Regional Command ...

and the

Battle of Musa Qala The Battle of Musa Qala (also Qaleh or Qal'eh) was a British-led military action in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, launched by the Afghan National Army and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) against the Taliban on 7 D ...

, among others.

Insurgent attacks

* Operation Kamin *

Operation Nasrat Operation Nasrat (English: ''Triumph'') was a military campaign by the Taliban insurgency in September 2007. It was focused on targeting American and Coalition forces operating in Helmand and Kabul Province. The start of the campaign was timed ...

Bagram Air Base Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient Bagram at an elevation of above sea leve ...

Baghlan Baghlan (Dari: بغلان ''Baġlān'') is a city in northern Afghanistan, in the eponymous province, Baghlan Province. It is located three miles east of the Kunduz River, 35 miles south of Khanabad, and about 500 metres above sea level in the ...

Battles

Battle of Firebase Anaconda The Battle of Firebase Anaconda (not to be confused with Operation Anaconda) was a military engagement that took place on August 8, 2007, during the War in Afghanistan. A group of roughly 75 Afghan militants mounted a rare frontal assault on a Un ...

2008 operations

Significant military operations in 2008 included the

Helmand province campaign The Helmand province campaign was a series of military operations conducted by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces against Taliban insurgents and other local groups in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Their objective ...

Operation Karez Operation Karez was a military operation between May 13–23, 2008 involving Norwegian and German ISAF and Afghan government forces against the Taliban as part of the war in Afghanistan. Their objective was to eliminate the presence of Taliban ...

, and

Operation Eagle's Summit Operation Eagle's Summit ( in Pashto) was a military operation conducted by International Security Assistance Force, ISAF and Afghan National Army troops, with the objective of transporting a 220-tonne turbine to the Kajaki Dam in Helmand Provin ...

, among others.

Coalition operations

*Operation Sohil Laram III during March and April around Hutal *Operation Sur Kor (Red House) during April in Zari District *

during May in Badghis Province *Operation Oqab Sterga (Eagle's Eye) during May around Grishk *Operation Janub Zilzila (Southern Edge) during June in Mizan District, Zabul Province *

(Oqab Tsuka) during August and September in Kandahar and Helmand Provinces * Operation Sond Chara (Red Dagger) during December in Helmand Province

Insurgent attacks

* Hotel Serena *

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

* Indian Embassy *

Uzbin Valley ambush French International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops were ambushed by Afghan Taliban insurgents, with heavy casualties, in the Uzbin Valley outside the village of Spēṟ Kunday of the Surobi District of Kabul province in eastern Afgha ...

* Balamorghab ambush *

Sarposa Prison attack The Sarposa Prison attack was a raid on the Sarposa Prison in Kandahar, Afghanistan by Taliban insurgents on June 13, 2008. One of the largest attacks by Afghan insurgents, the raid freed 400-1000 prisoners.Time magazine,Taliban Militants Storm ...

Spin Boldak bombing The Spin Boldak bombing happened on February 18, 2008, when a car full of explosives detonated near a Canadian military convoy in a market in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan. The attack killed 38 Afghans and injured at least 25 civilians. In addition, ...

Battles

* Battle of Arghandab *

Battle of Garmsir The Battle of Garmsir (also Garmser) was a battle between U.S. Marines and other International Security Assistance Force, ISAF coalition forces, and Taliban insurgents in Garmsir, southern Afghanistan. It was part of the ongoing Helmand Provinc ...

Gora Prai airstrike The Gora Prai airstrike was an airstrike by the United States that resulted in the deaths of 11 paramilitary troops of the Pakistan Army Frontier Corps and 8 Taliban fighters in Pakistan's tribal areas. The attack took place late on June 1 ...

* Battle of Shewan *

Battle of Shok Valley The Battle of Shok Valley, also known as Operation Commando Wrath, was a joint U.S.-Afghan raid designed to kill or capture Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) in the Shok Valley of Nuristan Province of Afghanistan ...

Battle of Wanat The Battle of Wanat took place on July 13, 2008, when around 200 Taliban insurgents attacked American troops stationed near Quam, in the Waygal district of Afghanistan's far eastern Nuristan province. The distant position was primarily defend ...

2009 operations

Coalition operations

* Counterinsurgency in Northern Afghanistan * Operation Aabi Toorah (Blue Sword) 2C * Operation Tor Tapus 2 *

Operation Cobra's Anger Operation Cobra's Anger was a US-led offensive in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. About 1,000 Marines 150 Afghan troops were involved, as well as a Danish armor attachment. The operation began in the early hours of December 4th, 200 ...

Operation Diesel Operation Diesel was a raid by 700 British troops from the Royal Marines 45 Commando, 42 Commando, and the 3 Commando Brigade's Reconnaissance Force, as well as armoured infantry and close reconnaissance from 1st Battalion Princess of Wales's ...

Operation Khanjar Operation Strike of the Sword or Operation Khanjar was a US-led offensive in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. About 4,000 U.S. Marines, Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as well as 650 Afghan National Army, Afghan troops ...

(Strike of the Sword) * Operation Oqab (Eagle) * Operation Panchai Palang (Panther's Claw) *Operation Sarack (May) * Operation Shahi Tandar

Insurgent attacks

* Kabul raid *

* Indian Embassy * UN guest house *

Camp Chapman attack Forward Operating Base Chapman was a United States Armed Forces Forward Operating Base located in Khost province, Afghanistan. As a prominent U.S. base, it was a repeated target of terror attacks. There have been at least seven attacks; t ...

Battles

* Battle of Dahaneh *

Battle of Alasay The Battle of Alasay, codenamed Operation Dinner Out, was a military operation carried out by French troops of the Chasseurs Alpins's 27e Battalion and the Afghan National Army (ANA) 1st ''Kandak'' (battalion) between 14 and 23 March 2009. M ...

(Operation Dinner Out) * Battle of COP Keating *

Battle of Ganjgal The Battle of Ganjgal was a battle in the War in Afghanistan fought between American and Afghan forces and the Taliban in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on September 8, 2009. Complaints that the coalition casualties were avoidable and caused by a fa ...

2010 operations

Coalition operations

Operation Dragon Strike Operation Dragon Strike was a NATO counter-insurgency, counter-insurgent mission in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, against Taliban forces, which started on September 15, 2010. Planning The aim of the operation was to reclaim the strategic sout ...

Operation Moshtarak Operation Moshtarak (Dari for ''Together'' or ''Joint''), also known as the Battle of Marjah, was an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) pacification offensive in the town of Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It involved a combi ...

(Battle of Marja) * Operation Tor Shezada *Operation Hamkari *Operation Mountain Reach II (Battle of Daridam)

2011 operations

Battles

* Battle of Do Ab

2012 operations

2013 operations

2014 operations

2015 operations

2016 operations

2017 operations

2018 operations

2019 operations

2020 operations

2021 operations

List of battles and operations

The following table lists known

s of the

war in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict that began when an Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, international military coalition led by the United States launched United States invasion of Afghanistan, an invasion of Afghanistan, ...

References

External links

10th Mountain passes torch to 82nd AirborneDetails of ISAF and PRT deployments in Afghanistan - 2006Australian Defence Force - Operation SlipperCanadian Forces Operations in AfghanistanDutch deployment to AfghanistanRomanian operations in Afghanistan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Operations Of The War In Afghanistan (2001-2021) Operations Military operations in Afghanistan Wars involving the Taliban 2000s in Afghanistan 2010s in Afghanistan Articles containing video clips

Background

2001: War begins

Coalition operations

Battles

2002 operations

Coalition operations

Insurgent attacks

2003 operations

2004 operations

2005 operations

2006 operations

Battles

2007 operations

Insurgent attacks

Battles

2008 operations

Coalition operations

Insurgent attacks

Battles

2009 operations

Coalition operations

Insurgent attacks

Battles

2010 operations

Coalition operations

2011 operations

Battles

2012 operations

2013 operations

2014 operations

2015 operations

2016 operations

2017 operations

2018 operations

2019 operations

2020 operations

2021 operations

List of battles and operations

See also

References

Further reading

External links