Loading ...The second Afghan war in modern history opposed the United States along with the military contribution of the Northern Alliance and other western nations (UK, France , Canada, etc..) against the Taliban regime. This war is part of the "war against terrorism" declared by the Bush administration following the attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington. The purpose of the invasion according to the United States and its allies was to capture Osama Bin Laden, destroy the organization Al Qaeda, which had bases in the country with the blessing of the Taliban, and reverse them.
Taliban forces
Taliban forces had about 35,000 men. They were reinforced by many foreign volunteers of which about 9 000 to 10 000 Pakistani and 500-600 Arabs. They had a hundred of old models (T-55) or archaic (T-34/85) tanks and about 200 artillery pieces. The Artillery Corps brought together the best elements of their forces. Finally, the air defense appears to be largely insufficient. Overall, the command was average, with friction between units of different nationalities, although the Taliban had largely pioneered for the years 1996-1998 compared to their opponents.
U.S. and allied forces
Western forces engaged in the offensive of October-November 2001 are almost entirely supplied by the Americans and British. However, due to the distance between the countries of Afghanistan, the majority of land units was deployed gradually. The Americans call this first operation Justice limitless and opt for less aggressive Operation Enduring Freedom, with the official aim to fight against "international terrorism" and its supporters: that distinction shows its importance after the overthrow of the Taliban government, the units responsible for "war against terrorism" beyond the command of ISAF, which has, in turn, helped rebuild the country by stabilizing the new regime.