Question
The War in Afghanistan
A photo shows a partial newspaper headline from 2009 asking whether Osama bin Laden is dead, in hiding, or planning a new attack.
U.S. leaders hoped to capture Osama bin Laden, known to be hiding in Afghanistan, soon after the attacks of September 11, 2001. However, he remained at large for years to come.
It became clear that the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks was Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was a wealthy Saudi Arabian national who ran his terror network from Afghanistan. The United States thus turned its attention toward central Asia and the Taliban. Bin Laden had deep roots in Afghanistan. Like many others from around the Islamic world, he had come to Afghanistan to oust the Soviet army, which had invaded the country in 1979. Ironically, the United States had given support to both bin Laden and the Taliban at that time. By the late 1980s, the Soviets and the Americans had both left, although bin Laden remained. By that time, he was the leader of his own terrorist organization, al Qaeda.
The Taliban refused to turn bin Laden over. The United States allied with local tribal leaders opposed to the Taliban and began a bombing campaign in October 2001. Ground troops soon arrived to bolster U.S. air support. By November, the Taliban had lost control in Kabul, the capital city. However, bin Laden and his followers had already escaped across the Afghan border to mountain sanctuaries in northern Pakistan. The Taliban continued to fight from strongholds nestled in mountains and caves. The United States sought to help the Afghan people establish a new, democratic government, but the process was slow and challenging. American troops had hoped to quickly turn over security duties to local forces, but in fact remained in Afghanistan for more than a decade.
In 3-5 sentences, evaluate the goals and challenges of U.S. involvement in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Choose one goal and challenge of each war.
A photo shows a partial newspaper headline from 2009 asking whether Osama bin Laden is dead, in hiding, or planning a new attack.
U.S. leaders hoped to capture Osama bin Laden, known to be hiding in Afghanistan, soon after the attacks of September 11, 2001. However, he remained at large for years to come.
It became clear that the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks was Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was a wealthy Saudi Arabian national who ran his terror network from Afghanistan. The United States thus turned its attention toward central Asia and the Taliban. Bin Laden had deep roots in Afghanistan. Like many others from around the Islamic world, he had come to Afghanistan to oust the Soviet army, which had invaded the country in 1979. Ironically, the United States had given support to both bin Laden and the Taliban at that time. By the late 1980s, the Soviets and the Americans had both left, although bin Laden remained. By that time, he was the leader of his own terrorist organization, al Qaeda.
The Taliban refused to turn bin Laden over. The United States allied with local tribal leaders opposed to the Taliban and began a bombing campaign in October 2001. Ground troops soon arrived to bolster U.S. air support. By November, the Taliban had lost control in Kabul, the capital city. However, bin Laden and his followers had already escaped across the Afghan border to mountain sanctuaries in northern Pakistan. The Taliban continued to fight from strongholds nestled in mountains and caves. The United States sought to help the Afghan people establish a new, democratic government, but the process was slow and challenging. American troops had hoped to quickly turn over security duties to local forces, but in fact remained in Afghanistan for more than a decade.
In 3-5 sentences, evaluate the goals and challenges of U.S. involvement in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Choose one goal and challenge of each war.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
One primary goal of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was to dismantle al-Qaeda and capture Osama bin Laden to eliminate the terrorist threat. A significant challenge in achieving this goal was the prolonged and complex nature of the conflict, with bin Laden evading capture and the Taliban regrouping to continue their insurgency amidst efforts to establish a stable Afghan government. In Iraq, a central goal was to oust Saddam Hussein and promote democracy in the country; however, a major challenge faced was the ensuing sectarian violence and instability that emerged post-invasion, complicating efforts to establish a functional governance system and secure peace.
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