- Title: Timeline of U.S. war in Afghanistan Sept 2001 to August 2021
- Date: 30th August 2021
- Summary: The 2014 presidential election was locked in bitter contest between candidates Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah. Abdullah's support is mainly in the north, among the Tajik minority, while Ghani is supported by Pashtun tribes in the east and south. U.S. State Secretary John Kerry convinced the two feuding candidates to agree to a total recount of April's presidential election, which threatened to split the country along ethnic lines and sign a deal to share power, ending months of turmoil over a disputed election that destabilised the country. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - APRIL 5, 2014) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ASHRAF GHANI PUTTING HIS BALLOT INTO THE BOX PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ABDULLAH ABDULLAH PUTTING HIS BALLOT IN THE BOX KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (FILE - JULY 12, 2014) (REUTERS) UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE, JOHN KERRY, AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ABDULLAH ABDULLAH AND ASHRAF GHANI SHAKING HANDS AND HUGGING AND RAISING THEIR HANDS UP TOGETHER ON PODIUM
- Embargoed: 13th September 2021 20:07
- Keywords: Afghan President Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani Barack Obama Biden Bush Donald Trump George W ISAF Joe Biden NATO Northern Alliance Sept. 11 Taliban U.S. U.S. President U.S. troops insurgency military violence war withdrawal
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA009ESHQWJR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A look back at the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks in 2001.
On July 2, 2021 American troops pulled out of their main military base in Bagram, Afghanistan on July 2 under an agreement with the Taliban allowing for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from the country after a two-decade war.
At a news conference on July 8, President Biden delivered his most extensive comments to date about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under pressure from critics to give more explanation for his decision to withdraw, amid new concerns about the possibility of a civil war in the country.
When asked if a Taliban takeover of the war-torn country was inevitable, Biden simply answered, "
A little more than a month later, the Taliban, who ruled from 1996 to 2001, swept back to power and routed the U.S.-backed Afghan army as foreign forces withdrew.
President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday (August 15) as the bearded Islamist militants entered Kabul virtually unopposed, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed.
It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the whole country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces, trained for years and equipped by the United States and others at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away.
People thronged to Kabul airport from late on Sunday, wandering around the runways in the dark, pulling luggage and jostling for a place on one of the last commercial flights to leave before U.S. forces took over air traffic control.
When the U.S. forces gave up Bagram to the Afghan government in July, it left Kabul's airport as the only way out of the country, to the anger of many Afghans.
The Pentagon on Sunday authorized another 1,000 troops to help evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who worked for them, expanding its security presence on the ground to almost 6,000 troops within the next 48 hours.
The White House said the next few days were likely to be the most dangerous of the evacuation operation. The United States and allies have taken about 113,500 people out of Afghanistan in the past two weeks, it said.
On August 26, 2021, U.S. forces helping evacuate Afghans desperate to flee Taliban rule were on alert for more attacks after an Islamic State suicide bombing outside Kabul airport killed at least 92 people, including 13 U.S. service members.
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