The War in Afghanistan

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The War in Afghanistan
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By the mid 1990s the extremist Taliban
controlled most of Afghanistan, they allowed al
Qaeda to live there
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9/11 attacks planned in Afghanistan
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Global War on Terror

• US and NATO allies invaded Afghanistan on October
  7, 2001
• Operation Enduring Freedom

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Cities towns taken over in 1 month
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Rural border with Pakistan cleared in 3 months
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Why is it so difficult to fight the war in
Afghanistan?
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1. Afghanistan is remote, mountainous,
treacherous it is hard to move soldiers and
supplies
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2. Access to Afghanistan is difficult
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3. Much of the fighting is done in remote,
mountainous regions that the Taliban know better
than the US
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4. The Taliban and al Qaeda re-grouped in Pakistan
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5. Al Qaeda fighters are devoted to their cause
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6. Huge cultural divide between the US and
Afghanistan
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7. No experience with democracy
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8. Afghanistan is a very underdeveloped country
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Government(s)

• Constitutional Monarchy until 1973
• 1973 Military coup overthrows the monarchy and
  set up one-party rule
• 1979 Communists overthrow the one-party rule,
  but many different groups rebel against the
  communists including the US funded Mujahideen
  (Pakistan and Iran also supported different
  groups).
• 1979 Soviet Union invades in an attempt to
  retain Soviet communist control
• 1989 Soviets withdraw in defeat 1989

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9. Hard to tell if people are friends or foes
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Poppies used to make heroin, are a major crop
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Looking Forward
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Build schools, roads and other services
Afghanistan needs
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Train the Afghan military
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Pull Western troops out of Afghanistan
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Global War on Terror

• Then Iraq, March 20, 2003
• Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Three main reason for extending the war on Terror
  to Iraq
• It was believed the Iraq had WMDs
• It was believed Saddam Hussein was supporting
  Osama bin Laden
• Desire to spread democracy in the Middle East

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Ethnic and Religious Groups in Iraq
Sunni Arabs Shia Arabs Kurds
Minority in Iraq (32-37) Minority in Iran Majority in Iraq (60-65) Majority in Iran Separate ethnic group (15-20) Most are Sunni, but identify with Kurds over Sunni
Majority in the world and in Saudi Arabia Minority in the world and in Saudi Arabia Want to form their own country Kurdistan
Had power under Saddam Hussein Discriminated against by Saddam Hussein Attacked by Saddam Hussein
Mostly in the central-west part of Iraq where there is little oil Mostly in the southeast part of Iraq where there is oil Mostly in the northern part of Iraq where there is oil
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Sectarian Violence

• Definition- fighting between sects (recognized
  divisions) within a specific religion or ideology
• Initiated by Sunnis afraid of losing power in
  Iraq
• Carried out Guerrilla warfare - raids, ambushes,
  suicide bombers, Improvised Explosive Devices
  (IEDs or roadside bombs), etc
• Coordinated attacks with Al Qaeda in Iraq-an
  organization created AFTER the US invasion

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Creating a Democratic Iraq

• Initially Iraq was run by the US government who
  hand-picked Iraqi leaders to work with (Coalition
  Provisional Authority). Goal was to create a
  stable Iraq until elections could be held.
• Elections held January 2005. Shias won, Sunnis
  boycotted the election.
• Iraqi constitution passed September 2005
• In 2006, the US begins to hand over control to
  the Iraqi government.

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Security Surge

• February 2007 Launch of security surge
• Amid growing US concerns about continuing
  sectarian violence in Iraq the US institutes a
  new policy know as the The Surge sending an
  additional 30,000 troops to Iraq, most going to
  the area around Baghdad

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Sunni Awakening

• Late 2007 Sunnis switch sides
• After 4 years of Sunnis (along with Al Qaeda in
  Iraq) fighting against the US and Shia-dominated
  Iraqi army Sunnis switched sides and began
  allying with the US against Al-Qaeda in Iraq
• 80,000 Sunni Muslims joined the Iraqi army in
  exchange for money from the U.S.
• Sunnis also begin participating in the government

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Security Pact (Status of Forces)

• Late 2008 Agreement between the US and Iraq on
  when US forces with be withdrawn
• US forces left cities by 2009
• All U.S. forces removed from Iraq by mid 2011

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Problems still remaining

• Economic
• High unemployment rates
• Lack of infrastructure (Roads, power lines,
  schools)
• Most of the well educated people have fled the
  country
• Struggle over oil-rich regions
• Political
• Different sects still dont get along with each
  other
• Continuing violence (though at a much lower level
  than 4 years ago)