U.S. Involvement in Afghanistan

This research paper explores the history of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, starting with the Soviet-Afghan War and continuing through to the present day. It discusses the various ways in which the United States has been involved in Afghanistan, including military aid to the mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War, post-9/11 invasions, and ongoing counterterrorism efforts. The paper argues that while the United States has had a significant impact on Afghan affairs, its goals have often been contradictory and its actions have not always been effective. Ultimately, the paper concludes that the United States is unlikely to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan without a more comprehensive and coordinated strategy.

The Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989) was a nine-year conflict between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. The war began when the Soviet Union deployed troops to Afghanistan in an attempt to prop up the communist government of Afghan President Hafizullah Amin. The Soviet intervention was opposed by a coalition of Afghan mujahideen groups, who were bolstered by military aid from the United States. After a prolonged and bloody stalemate, the Soviet Union withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in 1989.

The United States first became involved in Afghanistan in the late 1970s, when it began providing military aid to the mujahideen through the Pakistani government. This assistance increased significantly after the Soviet intervention in 1979. The stated goal of U.S. policy was to "bleed" the Soviet Union through a prolonged and costly war, in the hope that this would lead to its collapse.

The United States continued to provide military and financial support to the mujahideen throughout the 1980s. In 1986, U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed a secret directive authorizing covert assistance to the Afghan rebels. This directive, known as National Security Decision Directive 166, approved the sale of Stinger missiles to the mujahideen.

The Soviet-Afghan War ended in 1989 with the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The communist government in Kabul collapsed soon afterwards, and Afghanistan descended into a period of chaotic factional fighting. In 1992, a coalition of Afghan mujahideen groups captured Kabul and proclaimed the establishment of an Islamic state.

The United States ended its support for the mujahideen after the Soviet withdrawal, and instead began providing economic and military aid to the newly formed government of Afghanistan. However, this assistance was cut off in 1995 after the Taliban, a militant Islamic group, seized control of Kabul. The Taliban imposed a strict form of Sharia law on Afghanistan, and supported terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.

In 1998, al-Qaeda carried out a series of bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa. In response, President Bill Clinton ordered cruise missile strikes against al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. These strikes were unsuccessful in eliminating al-Qaeda or toppling the Taliban.

On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists carried out a series of coordinated attacks on the United States, using commercial airplanes to destroy the World Trade Center in New York City and damage the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. In response, President George W. Bush announced a "war on terror" and pledged to track down and bring to justice those responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

In October 2001, the United States launched a military invasion of Afghanistan with the stated goal of overthrowing the Taliban regime and capturing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The Taliban was quickly toppled, but bin Laden evaded capture. In the years that followed, U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan as part of an international coalition to stabilize the country and prevent a resurgence of Taliban or al-Qaeda activity.

In 2003, the United States invaded Iraq, further expanding its "war on terror." The stated goal of this invasion was to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein and locate and destroy Iraq's stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were found, and the Iraq War quickly became bogged down in a protracted and bloody insurgency.