Remembering Afghanistan, 25 years on On October 7, 2001, less than a month after 9/11, a U.S.-led coalition launched air strikes on Afghanistan. What followed became the longest war in American history, which only ended with a chaotic withdrawal and the Taliban's return to power in August 2021 WAR DEATHS (Oct 2001-Aug 2021) TOTAL 242,862 U.S. & allied troops: U.S.: UK: Others: 3,468 2,324 457 687 National military & police: Afghanistan: Pakistan: 78,526 69,095 9,431 Civilians†: Opposition fighters*: Afghanistan: Pakistan: 85,731 52,893 32,838 875,137 50,756 24,381 *Including Taliban †Including aid workers, journalists, contractors 2001 2021 2010 2002 2006 2011 2005 2004 2018 2017 2015 2003 2014 2009 2013 2020 Sep 9: Ahmad Shah Massoud (below), commander of Northern Alliance, anti-Taliban coalition, killed by al-Qaeda operatives – secures Taliban’s protection of Osama bin Laden ahead of 9/11 attacks Sep 11: Al-Qaeda hijackers crash four airliners into World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Pennsylvania field, killing nearly 3,000 Dec: U.S. bombs Tora Bora caves – bin Laden escapes into Pakistan Nov 13: Northern Alliance forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition, enter Kabul as Taliban flee Oct: NATO assumes security responsibility amid rising violence Jun 22: Obama announces withdrawal of 33,000 troops Oct 7: U.S. President George W. Bush launches war to topple Taliban and hunt bin Laden Apr 14: President Joe Biden orders full withdrawal by September 11 Aug 15: In just over one month, Taliban sweep across Afghanistan, taking control of Kabul. Afghan security forces collapseChaos erupts at Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans attempt to flee. Suicide bombing by ISIS-K‡ kills 13 U.S. troops and more than 170 Afghans Jun 23: Gen David Petraeus replaces McChrystal Nov: NATO summit agrees plan to hand control of security to Afghan forces by 2014Oct: Karzai re-elected amid fraud claims and Taliban attacks May: Gen Stanley McChrystal named top U.S. commander – launches counter-insurgency strategy to reduce civilian casualties Jan: First International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops deploy, later led by NATO Jun: Loya Jirga, or grand council, elects Hamid Karzai as interim head of state May: British troops arrive in Helmand province, Taliban stronghold May 1: Bin Laden killed in U.S. raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan Sep 18: Six million vote in first parliamentary elections in over 30 years Oct 9: Karzai becomes first democratically elected president Oct: U.S. opens talks with Taliban in Doha, Qatar Oct 7, 2026: 25 years after war began and five years after foreign forces left, Afghans live under Taliban rule, with women’s rights curtailed and millions in humanitarian need Jan: Taliban carry out wave of attacks in Kabul Aug 30: Last U.S. troops leave, ending 20-year war Aug 21: President Donald Trump vows “honorable” end to war, rules out nation-building Taliban resurgence with series of car bombings. Islamic State militants begin operations in Afghanistan Dec 28: U.S. combat mission officially ends – nearly 10,000 troops stay to support Afghan forces May 1: U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (below) declares end of major combat operations Sep 21: Newly elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (below right) signs power-sharing agreement with chief opponent, Abdullah Abdullah (left), forming unity government Feb 17: President Barack Obama approves major increase in U.S. troops, bringing total number to nearly 100,000 by mid-2010 Apr 23: Taliban founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar, dies of health problems in Karachi, Pakistan. Death kept secret for more than two years Feb 29: U.S. and Taliban sign agreement for full troop withdrawal 125 miles 200km AFGHANISTAN PAKISTAN Kabul Tora Bora Abbottabad Helmand province Kandahar Quetta Islamabad Peshawar Herat Kunduz Mazar-i-Sharif Jalalabad ‡Islamic State in Khorasan © GRAPHIC NEWS Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, Costs of War Project, Watson Institute, Brown University, UK Ministry of Defence Pictures: Getty Images, Newscom