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Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the official name used by the US government for its military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. It was previously planned to have been called Operation Infinite Justice but it is believed to have been changed because of concerns that this might offend the Muslim community as some believe that Islam teaches that God is the only one who can provide Infinite Justice.

The Operation comprises several subordinate operations:

1. Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan (OEF-A)
2. Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines (OEF-P) (formerly Operation Freedom Eagle)
3. Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA)

The term "OEF" typically refers to the war in Afghanistan.

Overview

OEF commenced on October 7, 2001, with "early combat operations a mix of air strikes from land-based B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers; carrier-based F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet fighters; and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from both U.S. and British ships and submarines."

"The initial military objectives of Operation Enduring Freedom, as articulated by President George W. Bush in his Sept. 20th Address to a Joint Session of Congress and his Oct. 7th address to country, include the destruction of terrorist training camps and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al Qaeda leaders, and the cessation of terrorist activities in Afghanistan."

On May 2, 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld announced the end of Afghan combat. However, on December 9, 2003, the U.S. military announced that it had "launched a major ground operation in Afghanistan in an effort to eliminate the remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban regime overthrown in 2001."

The Taliban

Seizing upon a power vacuum after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan after their invasion, the Taliban ruled with an iron fist from 1996-2001. Their extreme interpretation of Islamic law prompted them to ban music, television, sports, and dancing, oppress women and children, and enforce harsh judicial penalties. Amputation was an accepted form of punishment for stealing, and public executions could often be seen at the Kabul football stadium. Women's rights groups around the world cried often and loudly as the Taliban banned women from appearing in public or holding many jobs outside the home. They drew further criticism when they destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, historical statues nearly 2,000 years old, because the buddhas were considered idols.

The connection between the Taliban and al-Qaeda

In 1996, Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden moved to Afghanistan upon the invitation of the Northern Alliance leader Abdur Rabb ur Rasool Sayyaf. When the Taliban came to power, bin Laden was able to forge an alliance between the Taliban and his Al-Qaeda organization. It is understood that al-Qaeda-trained fighters known as the 055 Brigade were integrated with the Taliban army between 1997 and 2001. The generally accepted view is that the Taliban and bin Laden had very close connections.

U.S. response in Afghanistan

On September 20th 2001, as the U.S. confirmed Osama bin Laden was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S. made a five point ultimatum to the Taliban: (1) Deliver to the US all of the leaders of Al Qaeda; (2) Release all imprisoned foreign nationals; (3) Close immediately every terrorist training camp; (4) Hand over every terrorist and their supporters to appropriate authorities; (5) Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection . On September 21, 2001 the Taliban rejected this ultimatum, stating there was no evidence in their possession linking Bin Laden to the September 11 attacks .

On September 22, 2001 the United Arab Emirates and later Saudi Arabia withdrew their recognition of the Taliban as the legal government of Afghanistan, leaving neighboring Pakistan as the only remaining country with diplomatic ties. On October 4, 2001 it is believed that the Taliban covertly offered to turn Bin Laden over to Pakistan for trial in an international tribunal that operated according to Islamic shar'ia law . Pakistan is believed to have rejected the offer.

On October 7, 2001 the Taliban proposed to try bin Laden in Afghanistan in an Islamic court. This proposition was immediately rejected by the U.S. Shortly afterward, on October 7, 2001 the United States, supported by a coalition of other countries, initiated military action against the Taliban and bombed Taliban and Al Qaeda related terrorist training camps. On October 14 the Taliban proposed to hand bin Laden over to a third country for trial, but only if the Taliban were given evidence of bin Laden's involvement in 9/11. The U.S. rejected this proposal and continued with military operations.

The stated intent of OEF was to remove the Taliban from power because of the Taliban's refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden for his involvement in the September 11 attacks, and in retaliation for the Taliban's aid to him. The ground war was mainly fought by the Northern Alliance,the remaining elements of the anti-Taliban forces which the Taliban had routed over the previous years, and was aided by US special forces and precision airstrikes. Mazar-i-Sharif fell to U.S.-aided Northern Alliance forces on November 9, leading to a cascade of provinces falling with minimal resistance, and many local forces switching loyalties from the Taliban to the Northern Alliance. On the night of November 12, the Taliban panicked and retreated south in a rout from Kabul. On November 15, they released eight Western aid workers after three months in captivity (see Attacks on humanitarian workers).

The UN Security Council, on January 16, 2002, unanimously established an arms embargo and the freezing of identifiable assets belonging to bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining Taliban.

The Taliban were later routed from Kandahar, and fled to the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Most post-invasion Taliban fighters are new recruits, drawn again from that region's madrassahs (madrassah means "school" in Arabic). The more traditional Qur'anic schools are suspected to be the primary source of the new fighters.

Effectiveness of the war in Afghanistan

The US-led Coalition is credited with removing the Taliban from power and seriously crippling the al-Qaida and associated militants in both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. Although some insurgents still attempt to discredit the legitimate Government of Afghanistan, their actions are decentralized and mostly ineffective.

On October 9, 2004, Afghanistan elected Hamid Karzai President in its first direct elections. The following year, Afghans conducted the Afghan parliamentary election, 2005 on September 18, 2005. Since the invasion, hundreds of schools and mosques have been constructed, millions of dollars in aid has been distributed, and the occurrence of violence has been greatly reduced. While military forces interdict insurgents and assure security, Provincial Reconstruction Teams are tasked with infrastructure building, like constructing roads and bridges, assisting during floods, and providing food and water to refugees. Many warlords have participated in an allegiance program, recognizing the legitimacy of the Government of Afghanistan, and surrendering their soldiers and weapons, though some of their subsequent actions have led to serious questions about their true loyalties. The newly activated Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and Afghan Border Police are being trained to assume the task of securing their nation. However, the Taliban still wields strong influence in many regions, and Karzai's government is believed to hold little real power outside the capital city of Kabul.

As with all wars, there is another perspective that is not as optimistic. AFP, reporting on a news story in the Sunday, April 3, 2004, issue of The New Yorker, wrote that retired Army Colonel Hy Rothstein, "who served in the Army Special Forces for more than 20 years, ... commissioned by The Pentagon to examine the war in Afghanistan concluded the conflict created conditions that have given 'warlordism, banditry and opium production a new lease on life' ...."

Rothstein "wrote in a military analysis he gave to The Pentagon in January that the US failed to adapt to new conditions created by the Taliban's collapse, the weekly magazine reported. ... 'The failure to adjust US operations in line with the post-Taliban change in theater conditions cost the United States some of the fruits of victory and imposed additional, avoidable humanitarian and stability costs on Afghanistan,' Rothstein wrote in the report. ... 'Indeed,'" he wrote, "'the war's inadvertent effects may be more significant than we think.'"

Many would dispute this claim, and evidence does show another story. "Warlordism" has actually been greatly reduced through a reconciliation program known as Program Tahkim-E Solh, which translates to "Strengthening Peace Program". Additionally, UN data shows that since Rothstein's report, poppy production has dropped. The 2005 poppy season saw a 21% decline in production from the previous year . Poppy production was an all time low during the Taliban rule and increased drastically after their removal from power. Currently, poppy and opium production is a linchpin of the chaotic Afghan economy, and it is questionable whether the Afghanistan government, Coalition Forces or NATO forces are making credible efforts to curb such production.

Rothstein continues to say that the "'military should have used Special Forces to adapt to new conditions' and that the war 'effectively destroyed the Taliban but has been significantly less successful at being able to achieve the primary policy goal of ensuring that al Qaeda could no longer operate in Afghanistan.'"

The New Yorker reported that the "Pentagon returned the report to Rothstein with a request he cut it drastically and soften his conclusions ... 'There may be a kernel of truth in there, but our experts found the study rambling and not terribly informative,' Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Collins told The New Yorker." Many Pentagon officials have quietly admitted since the report's release that it was far more accurate than initially characterized.

The conduct of US forces was criticised in a report entitled Enduring Freedom - Abuses by US Forces in Afghanistan by US-based human rights group, Human Rights Watch in 2004. Of note, the Human Rights Watch report failed to mention the many atrocities committed by Al Qaeda and Taliban forces on innocent civilians in Afghanistan.

Deployments

The United States has deployed tens of thousands of troops in support of Enduring Freedom, relying especially on light infantry units and special forces. Canada has deployed over 14,000 soldiers since operations began, including Joint Task Force 2 and various light infantry units. The United Kingdom deployed the famous SAS special force unit and Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Norway have also deployed special forces. Light infantry units have also been deployed from Italy and the Netherlands.

It was announced on January 27 2006 in the British Parliament that a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would be replacing the U.S troops in the province as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The British 16th Air Assault Brigade would be the core of the force in Southern Afghanistan, along with troops and helicopters from Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. The force will consist of roughly 3,300 British, 2,000 Canadian, 1,400 from the Netherlands and 240 from Australia. French special forces were also deployed to the region.

The Future of OEF

The US-led coalition continues to draw down its forces, being replaced largely by NATO forces and Afghan led security forces like the Afghan National Army. As of November 2005, NATO and the International Security Assistance Force were responsible for the northern and western sectors, with the south and east remaining under a US-led task force that continues to battle Taliban and rogue elements. ISAF continues to expand and will soon take over the south as well. According to the US Defense Department, the ANA continues to develop into a more capable force every day, which will soon be able to conduct any and all operations to ensure a secure Afghanistan, though this optimistic prediction is not held by many experts outside of the Pentagon.

Casualties

Casualties among pro and anti-American groups in Afghanistan and the Philippines are unknown. Among the Western coalition, as of June 14, 2006, there have been 377 coalition deaths in Afghanistan and other theaters of war--295 American, 18 German, 17 Spanish, 16 Canadian, 8 British, 7 French, 5 Italians, 3 Danish, 3 Romanians, 2 Swedes, 1 Australian, 1 Norwegian and 1 Portuguese.

Further reading

Sean M. Maloney, Enduring The Freedom: A Rogue Historian In Afghanistan.(Dulles: Potomac Books, Incorporated, 2005)

See also

• Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan
• International Security Assistance Force
• War on Terror

External links

• Special Operations Forces in Operation "Enduring Freedom"
• The Enduring Freedom Foundation

• Operations involving special forces
• Anti-Terrorism Policy of the United States