Operation Enduring Freedom
Listen to "Operation Enduring Freedom"
Operation Enduring Freedom, specifically the 2001 war in Afghanistan, was the first step to President Bush's war on terror. It is known as the greatest special forces war ever fought because of the US's heavy reliance on a few highly-trained operatives on the ground pinpointing targets for a high-tech force in the air.
The war was fought between the Coalition (consisting mostly of US forces)/Northern Alliance (Afghan rebels) and the Taliban (Afghan government)/Al Qaeda (led by Osama bin Laden). The was was pretty much one-sided, with the Northern Alliance ground offensive easily sweeping through Kabul, the capital of the Taliban, and Kandahar, the military stronghold of the Taliban. The one battle that the Coalition/Northern Alliance arguably lost was the Battle of Tora Bora, in which Osama bin Laden was cornered but somehow escaped.
Now, it is the insurgency that is causing problems for the new government led by Hamid Karzai.
The war is seen as a "good war" by both sides of the political aisle.
For more information, read:
Foreign Affairs: The Afghan Quagmire (November 2001)
Bush's Speech
Galenet Article One
Galenet Article Two
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/enduring-freedom.htm
Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and International Research and Publishing Corporation
Operation Enduring Freedom, specifically the 2001 war in Afghanistan, was the first step to President Bush's war on terror. It is known as the greatest special forces war ever fought because of the US's heavy reliance on a few highly-trained operatives on the ground pinpointing targets for a high-tech force in the air.
The war was fought between the Coalition (consisting mostly of US forces)/Northern Alliance (Afghan rebels) and the Taliban (Afghan government)/Al Qaeda (led by Osama bin Laden). The was was pretty much one-sided, with the Northern Alliance ground offensive easily sweeping through Kabul, the capital of the Taliban, and Kandahar, the military stronghold of the Taliban. The one battle that the Coalition/Northern Alliance arguably lost was the Battle of Tora Bora, in which Osama bin Laden was cornered but somehow escaped.
Now, it is the insurgency that is causing problems for the new government led by Hamid Karzai.
The war is seen as a "good war" by both sides of the political aisle.
For more information, read:
Foreign Affairs: The Afghan Quagmire (November 2001)
Bush's Speech
Galenet Article One
Galenet Article Two
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/enduring-freedom.htm
Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine and International Research and Publishing Corporation
posted by George Hageman at 9:02 PM
1 Comments:
I am a soldier in a the Afghanistan theatre, stationed here for the last year. The only reason for the reassuranges of the Taliban the last 6 months is due to what a subordinate said to his commander back when this whole mission started in 2001 - "Having patience is our victory, politics is America's worst enemy as seen in Vietnam". The Taliban are willing to wait us out, and is why they came out of nowhere waiting 5 years to strenghthen their insurgency, and actually calling it their spring offensive (29 March,2006). If America does not learn from its past then the enemy will have to such as in this instance, which the well more educated know tends to repeat itself. The focus had to be a "winning over the people" attitude over a military one. But since then these people are beginning to realize that we are not the saviors of their society, and the Taliban are reestablishing themselves back with the old fundamentalist environment that they believe will work better over the newer corrupt government that we once more support, just like in Vietnam (the communist took great advantage of this, just as the Taliban are patiently doing the same).
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