Guide Note

On August 18-19, 2008, the Taliban ambushed French troops killing ten and wounding twenty-one soldiers. The French soldiers were attacked by approximately 100 insurgents in the district of Sarobi, east of Kabul.In a separate incident, three U.S. soldiers were wounded in an attack on Camp Salerno.¹

On September 3, 2008, a raid took place in the Angor Adda area of Pakistan by U.S. and Afghan military assault members. There is speculation that an important al-Qaeda militant was the intended target. At least 20 people died in the raid.²

Fast Facts

1. Began on October 7, 2001
2. U.S. allies: Britain, Northern Alliance, NATO
3. Known as Operation Enduring Freedom

The United States and the United Kingdom led the aerial assault, with ground forces supplied primarily by the Northern Alliance. In 2002, American, British and Canadian infantry were committed, along with special forces from several allied nations. These forces were later joined by NATO forces.

The Afghanistan War or Operation Enduring Freedom, began on October 7, 2001 and was launched by the United States and the United Kingdom in response to the September 11 attacks. It was the first military campaign in the War on Terrorism. The stated purpose of the invasion was the capture Osama Bin Laden, the destruction of Al-Qaeda, and the overthrow of the Taliban.

After being removed from power in the initial assault the Taliban has regained some strength. Overall the war has been less successful in achieving the goal of restricting Al-Qaeda's movement. Since 2006, Afghanistan has seen threats to its stability from a Taliban-led insurgency, a growing illegal drug trade primarily focused on opium production and a fragile government with limited control outside of Kabul.