War of Afghanistan (2001)

Former events

After the First war of Afghanistan which led to the withdrawal of the Red Army in 1989 then with the fall with the mode Communiste in 1992, the Civil war between various the factions continued. The Taliban S were formed at the end of 1994 and conquered in a few years most of the country.

The Moudjahiddin not Taliban as of other resistant groups had created a coalition known under the name of Alliance of the North, which did not control any more into 2001 but the northern part of the country. The September 9th 2001, is two days before the attacks perpetrated in the United States by Al-Qaïda, the chief of the Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, is assassinated (probably by Al-Qaïda agents).

Two days after the attacks, the September 13rd 2001, the president of the United States George W. Bush request with the mode of the talibans extradition out of Afghanistan of the chief of Al-Qaïda Oussama ben Laden, person in charge of the attacks on New York and Washington. The latter refuse and narguent the United States.

The US president George W. Bush and British the Prime Minister Tony Blair hold of the speeches televised to inform their respective nations of the course of operation. British the Prime Minister Tony Blair delivers in October and November a diplomatic offensive during which he converses with more than sixty Heads of State of the whole world. In her speeches, George W. Bush compliments Tony Blair for the British participation in the attacks. Except the United Kingdom, the Canada, the France, the Australia and the Germany also declare their support. The Head of State Pakistan board - the general Pervez Musharraf - expresses to him also his agreement, in spite of the lack of enthusiasm of the Arab States as for the elimination of the Pakistani Al-Qaida network. Pakistan thus opens its borders with the waves of Réfugié S coming from Afghanistan.

Composition of the coalition

The first wave was carried out by the American and British forces. Nevertheless very quickly a second wave supported the first thanks to the contribution of many countries.

The United States of America, which direct the coalition, deployed approximately 22.000 men in the country, in particular in the east. 420 American soldiers were killed (July 31st, 2007)

Australia deployed approximately 300 commandos SAS, supported by 400 soldiers working to rebuild the country. Several frigates, two planes P-3 Orion and of the hunters F/A-18 is also present. Moreover, 1 Australian soldier was killed.

Bahrain

Several ships.

Belgium

400 deployed men, mainly for the rebuilding and the mine clearance

Approximately: 2500 men, of which forty commandos, 6 ships, 6 planes and 15 tanks Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 (since 2006 for the latter). Since the beginning of the year 2006, the Canadian army directs the operations of the forces allied in the south of Afghanistan and during the summer 2006, Canada controlled the Médusa operation and was the major nation during the battle of Panjwaii. The Canadian Pertes in Afghanistan are heavy for the size of their army, 73 soldiers, a diplomat, several interpreters, and a civilian perished since the beginning of the operations. Their military engagement is, for a long time, débatue at the Parliament by the opposition parties. The Canadian mission in Afghanistan, for the moment, must finish in February 2009. A possible extension up to 2011 is at present in study by the government.

150 soldiers of which 10 are in the zone of Kandahar. The 140 others are deployed with French in the zone of Kabul or with German in the area of Mazar-e-Charif. To at the end of 2007, Croatia will send 150 men moreover, carrying its manpower with 300.

Several special forces, localized with the Mauer camp, are assigned with the recognition. Deployed first once in March 2004 and withdrawn in September of the same year, they should again be deployed in 2006. A soldier was killed in a road accident on May 3rd, 2007.

Denmark also deployed special forces as well as a transport aircraft C-130. Thereafter, 6 F-16 specialized in the attack on the ground were sent. Denmark lost 4 soldiers (July 31st, 2007).

France

Deployment of the air and sea Group of the Aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, including/understanding three frigates, a Nuclear submarine of attack, a sloop and a tanker for a total of 3.500 men.

Deployment of 2.000 men, of which instructors and special forces.

From the October 26th, 2007, the rotation of the fighters (3 Mirage planes 2000 D and 3 planes Mirage F1), which was done previously since the airport of Douchambé to the Tadjikistan, is done from now on since the airport of Kandahar, in Afghanistan.

Germany

More: 2200 soldiers, whose special forces KSK, were deployed, as well as ships and teams fighting against the threats NBC. 21 soldiers were killed (4 at the time of mineclearing operations, 7 at the time of a crash landing of helicopter, 1 in an accident, 8 by suicide bombings and 1 by a mine). (5/25/07).

Italy

2.000 men on the ground, several warships, of which an carry-aircraft. 9 Italian soldiers died (5/25/07).

Nonmilitary naval support.

Jordan

A team of mine clearance.

40 soldiers of the special forces since 2002, reinforced by 120 soldiers in the province of Ghowr since 2005.

In March 2007, the Netherlands count 1.200 soldiers in Afghanistan. 9 of these soldiers were killed (7/31/07).

2 soldiers killed with the combat (7/31/07).

200 soldiers

Pakistan is in an ambiguous position. Even if the Pakistani army carries out military operations against the talibans, ISI, them, provides weapons and ammunition has these same groups, thus seeing the increased influence of their country. At the time of military operations against the positions talibanes in the mountains at the Pakistani border, 500 soldiers would have been killed by the talibans according to their Prime Minister, in particular in 2005.

Poland

Déployement of units of GROM.

Portugal

115 commandos and 37 air-traffic controllers in Kabul. 1 soldier killed with the combat the 11/18/05.

650 military soldiers, 25 police officers and a transport aircraft C-130. Three soldiers died (July 31st, 2007).

Approximately 160 troops of elites and several teams of mine clearance. Two of these soldiers were killed at the combat in November and December 2005.

England has 3.000 soldiers, based mainly in the province of Helmand, in the south of the country. Since 2001,68 British soldiers were killed (July 31st, 2007).

Ouzbékistan authorized the American forces to station on its ground for humanitarian operations.

Spain

Spain deployed 500 soldiers on the Afghan territory. 21 of these soldiers was killed since 2005, date of the first Spanish victim of the conflict.

Unfolding

The United States deployed more than one thousand of men in Ouzbékistan, country which authorized the parking of American troops on its ground.

In the Indian Ocean, the Aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and USS Enterprise , the others warships and the nuclear underwater of attack prepare with the offensive.

But one of the principal supports of the operation is located in Afghanistan. Indeed, the mode of the Taliban S, directed by the Mollah Omar, does not control the totality of the Afghan territory. Certain areas, in particular in the east and the north of the country, are held by between: 15000 and: 20000 resistant anti-talibans of which the Alliance of North.

The United States Central Command which is in load of the countryside counts finally on the inequality of the report/ratio of the forces in présence.
The talibans can only align: 15000 permanent soldiers and: 70000 mobilizable. Their weaponry, somewhat decayed, date essentially of the war against the USSR, in particular of the American Missile S (FIM-92 Stinger) and Russian (SA-16, SA-18 and Scud).

To that are added Soviet tanks T-54 and T-55, multiple Lance-roquettes, 4×4 equipped with Mitrailleuse S.

Immutable operation Freedom ( Enduring Freedom Operation )

“We opened a new face in our war against terrorism” . By these words, the spokesperson of the White House announces Sunday October 7th 2001, the beginning of the operation “immutable Liberté”.

frigate S and submarines of the US Navy and Royal Navy launch forty cruise missiles Tomahawk on Kandahar, Kabul and Jalalabad. During 12 days, 25 fighters and 15 bombers B-1 B, B-2 and B-52 ram Kabul (in particular the Powerplant and official buildings), the airport and the military center of Kandahar, Jalalabad as well as the camps of drive of Usama Bin Laden.

The “united front” anti-taliban

The American intervention is accompanied by a series of military operations carried out in various points of the territory by the various components of the “United front Islamic and National for the Safety of Afghanistan” much more knew under the name of Alliance of North.

This vast nebula gathers 4 Afghan military principal trainings of opposition to the talibans.

The Jamaar-islami directed by the Fahim general, since the death of Massoud counts: 9000 soldiers belonging for the majority to the Ethnos group tadjike living to the North-East of the country. These forces operate on two faces: the north of Kabul and the Takhar.

It is in this last area that they try to establish the junction with the troops of the Dostom general, made up of Uzbeks and based around Mazar-i-Sharif.

To these two formations they are added: 2500 rebels Hazara S, of the Mongolian Shiites and Persan ophones alive in the area of Baghran, as well as: 4000 “Inhabitants of Tajik of the West”, ordered by Ismail Khan and stationed around Chagcharan. The “united front” tries to form vast growing anti-taliban since the corridor of Wakhan, in the east, to the border Iran ienne, as a practitioner between these various faces.

The common offensive

Before October 7th, of the advisers and several hundreds of members of the Western Special forces (very mainly American) are dispatched in order to prepare united actions near the various representatives of the “United front”. But it is especially also a question of rejoining by various means, especially financial S, the chiefs of still hesitant clans. The Americans propose to repurchase their military materials to them, in particular the ground-to-air missiles Stinger which had been distributed to them during the war against the Soviets. 300 million dollars is even intended to foment risings against the talibans.

The October 20th 2001, the plans of intervention are specified. The American and British special forces are deployed in the area of Kandahar. In the north of the country, a thousand of soldiers of the American units of elite is stationed in the base of Termez, at the border between Ouzbékistan and Afghanistan to help and frame the forces of the “United front”. The primary goal is to make it possible to the combatants of Dostom to conquer the province of Balkh, in order to establish an direct access with the American forces based in Ouzbékistan. Then it is a question of supporting the projection of the “Inhabitants of Tajik of the East”.

To prepare this double offensive in the East of the country, the American Armée organizes the intensive bombardment of Mazar-e Charif and Kabul. Thanks to these rammings, the troops of Dostom arrive the November 10th 2001, to take the control of Mazar-e Charif, causing the escape of the army talibane. Two days later, the “Inhabitants of Tajik of the East” seize Hérat.

The catch of Kabul

The fall of e-Charif Mazar seems a true turning in the war. She galvanizes the “Inhabitants of Tajik of the East”, whose projection towards Kabul is still accelerated by the change of strategy of the Talibans.

Indeed, at the beginning of November, mollah Omar orders with his troops to withdraw capital in order to concentrate the Guérilla on the areas of Nangharar, Laghman and Kunar which borders the Pakistan

But for the US government, the catch of Kabul is likely to be too fast. The American authorities and the former king Zaher Shah try to convince the “Inhabitants of Tajik of the East” to slow down their progression, time to negotiate the demilitarization of the capital and the distribution of the capacities between the various ethnos groups, in particular the Pachtoune S, majority in the country. But the combatants inhabitants of Tajik do not stop: the November 13rd 2001, they take possession of Kabul without real combat.

Five weeks after the beginning of military operations, the mode of the Talibans is reversed. Several thousands of Talibans were killed or made captive while: 3700 civilians perished in the engagements.

At the beginning of November 2001, various countries - among which the Netherlands, the Germany and the Japan - announce, at the request of the United States and the United Kingdom, which they them also will bring a military aid.

War crimes committed by the protagonists

The Alliance of North, allied of the United States, was shown of war crimes, make in November 2001, against prisoners Al-Qaïda talibans and members. The government of marked the east United States to want to close the business not to disturb its Afghan allies and to preserve some of its members suspected of having been direct witnesses of the events.

This business was revealed by the newspaper Newsweek, after the publication of a confidential memorandum of UNO, where it was a question of common graves where more: 3000 corpses were piled up. According to the memorandum, the found elements “are enough to justify an official criminal investigation”. Always according to the memorandum, it would be the Uzbek war leader Abdul Rachid Dostom which of it would be the person in charge (its militia faced the forces of the new government which wanted to disarm them in April 2004). The prisoners were locked up in Conteneur S without water nor food in full sun, to be transported in semitrailer in the prison of Sheberghan. Before arriving there, the men of Abdul Rachid Dostom would have left the corpses and would have buried them with Dashte-Leili.

That is unfortunately not the only case of this type met during this war in progress since 1978. In 1997 and 1998, such scenes had already taken place, made by the talibans and their adversaries. The towns of Meymana, Faryab, Hérat inter alia were also the theater of massive executions made by the Talibans during this period, while in 1998, the town of Shebarghan saw their adversaries using the same method.

Humanitarian aid of the army

The humanitarian Aid provided by the foreign armed forces in Afghanistan is also a subject of criticism. The American army, by distributing a humanitarian aid, makes a point of being shown well population, so as to show that it is not only one army of invasion and occupation. The problem is that by providing a humanitarian aid, the army distorts the charts and part of the local population believes that all the humanitarian aids come from the United States. Different associations and the ONG are thus found under fires of criticisms and some are attacked by terrorist groups talibans, under pretext which they are with the service of the United States.

Thus certain ONG, like Doctors without borders (MSF), leave the country for safety reasons, whereas they were present in the country for a long time, even under the mode of the Talibans.

Continuations

Today the Talibans would control nothing any more but some territories of modest size in the south-east and the North-East of the country.

Many talks are started after the hostilities of which the agreements of Bonn of December 2001 which decided inter alia the formation of a Loya Jirga about the formation of a new government under the direction of Hamid Karzai and NATO strongly begins with the sending of forces placed under the command of ISAF.

This government receives a control limited on the majority of the Afghan territory. But in 2007, the situation is always delicate.

The new administration, the troops of occupation and the teams of assistance are often attacked by the combatants talibans who always exert a guerilla, the war leaders being shared part of the territory and the special forces of Western countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Netherlands) always continue their operations in order to capture Bin Laden. Thus, the 17 and May 18th 2006,90 rebels talibans and 13 police officers were killed in military operations in the south of the country.

Military losses of the coalition

Here the losses annual of the armed forces of the international coalition engaged in the country with January 1st, 2007, 516 soldiers or working for the armed forces had lost the life including 357 American:

2001 : 12 killed
2002: 68 killed
2003: 57 killed
2004: 58 killed
2005: 130 killed
2006: 191 killed

The Canadian operations Apollo, Athena and Archer

Canada ensured the operation Apollo (2001-04) for 588 million dollars Canadian which consisted in supervising the Indian Ocean, the Athena operation (of 2003 at the beginning of 2006) for 840 million dollars in the area of Kabul and begins then the Archer operation in the area of Khandahar to relieve the the United States at a quite higher cost.

Contributes with stabilization and the rebuilding

The coalition in Afghanistan made many advertisements aiming at giving all the chances to rebuild the country. These advertisements are in particular intended to provide:

an important economic aid;
a military presence and police aiming protecting the population and at dismantling the terrorist groups (the International force of assistance and safety under command of NATO more the operation Enduring Freedom always in progress, is: 36000 men on the whole, of which: 20000 American soldiers;
a formation to create a police force and an Afghan National army which will be finally charged to maintain the safety of the country.

But all these declarations never were entirely filled. The international community made many promises without completely holding them and the local Corruption with diverted an important part of the billion dollars given by many countries.

Criticisms of the policy followed for the war against terrorism judge that the pacification of Afghanistan is not complete and that, without that, the war against terrorism is a failure on this point. Over the first ten months of 2006, the guerilla and the combat made more: 3000 died in Afghanistan

Material employed

Various techniques were used during the combat. Apparently, one started by drawing from the missiles Tomahawk starting from Sous-marin S and from warships British and American. Then, American sent Hélicoptère S and fighter plans. One estimates at 150 and 25 the number - respectively - of fighter plans and bombers used. One also planned to send the first day two Transport aircraft McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III for larger 37 500 rations of food for groups of refugees in Afghanistan.

The Canadian army started by using its old Iltis, then of Mercedes type G armor-plated, and as from March 2006 RG-31 Nyala able to resist the suicide bombings and of the mines.

The press

Al-Jazeera, the first Arab media network, showed preregistered video recordings of a speech of Bin Laden, in which this last condemns each attack against Afghanistan. Al-Jazeera clamp which it received these bands recently. Bin Laden there known as also that he is the real person in charge of the attacks of September 11th, which the United States will be crushed after having failed in their mission in Afghanistan (like the Soviet Union before), and it calls the Moslems with the holy war ( jihad ) against America, Christianity (“crusaders”), Israel (“Zionists”) and the rest of the world.

See too

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