9781422286005

Major US Historical Wars

War in Afghanistan Overthrow of the Taliban and Aftermath

Dorothy Kavanaugh

Mason Crest Philadelphia

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

© 2016 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #MUW2015. For further information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book.

First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN: 978-1-4222-3360-3 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-4222-8600-5 (ebook)

Major US Historical Wars series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3352-8

About the Author: Dorothy Kavanaugh is a writer and editor who lives near Philadelphia. Her books include Infamous Terrorists (Eldorado Ink, 2013) and The Muslim World: An Overview (Mason Crest, 2009). Picture Credits: Federal Bureau of Investigation: 30; Library of Congress: 33, 42; National Archives: 19, 20, 21; North Atlantic Treaty Organization photo: 50, 51, 53, 54 (top), 55, 56; OTTN Publishing: 15; 360b / Shutterstock.com: 40; Larry Bruce / Shutterstock.com: 7; Northfoto / Shutterstock.com: 23, 25, 26; Ken Tannenbaum / Shutterstock.com: 9; Pal Teravagimov / Shutterstock.com: 28; United Nations: 16, 17, 24, 29, 54 (bottom); U.S. Army photo: 1, 31, 36, 37, 43, 47; U.S. Department of Defense: 11, 13, 35, 38, 39, 41, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 52; U.S. Navy photo: 10.

Table of Contents

Introduction

5 7

1: The Attack on America 2: A Country in Turmoil 3: Civil War in Afghanistan 4: Bringing Down the Taliban 5: Resurgence of the Taliban

13

23 33 45

Chronology

58

Further Reading / Internet Resources

61

Index

62 64

Series Glossary

Other Titles in This Series The American Revolution

The Civil War The Cold War The Korean War Native American Wars on the Western Frontier (1866-1890) US-Led Wars in Iraq, 1991-Present The Vietnam War War in Afghanistan: Overthrow of the Taliban and Aftermath The War of 1812

World War I World War II

Introduction

By Series Consultant Lt. Col. Jason R. Musteen

W hy should middle and high school students read about and study America wars?

Does doing so promote militarism or instill misguided patriotism? The United States of America was born at war, and the nation has spent the majority of its existence at war. Our wars have demonstrated both the best and worst of who we are. They have freed millions from oppression and slavery, but they have also been a vehi- cle for fear, racism, and imperialism. Warfare has shaped the geography of our nation, informed our laws, and it even inspired our national anthem. It has united us and it has divided us. Valley Forge, the USS Constitution , Gettysburg, Wounded Knee, Belleau Wood, Normandy, Midway, Inchon, the A Shau Valley, and Fallujah are all a part of who we are as a nation. Therefore, the study of America at war does not necessarily make students or educators militaris- tic; rather, it makes them thorough and responsible. To ignore warfare, which has been such a significant part of our history, would not only leave our education incomplete, it would also be negligent. For those who wish to avoid warfare, or to at least limit its horrors, understanding conflict is a worthwhile, and even necessary, pursuit. The American author John Steinbeck once said, “all war is a symptom of man’s Lt. Col. Jason R. Musteen is a U.S. Army Cavalry officer and combat vet- eran who has held various command and staff jobs in Infantry and Cavalry units. He holds a PhD in Napoleonic History from Florida State University and currently serves as Chief of the Division of Military History at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has appeared frequently on the History Channel.

5

War in Afghanistan: Overthrow of the Taliban and Aftermath

6

failure as a thinking animal.” If Steinbeck is right, then we must think. And we must think about war. We must study war with all its attendant horrors and miseries. We must study the heroes and the villains. We must study the root causes of our wars, how we chose to fight them, and what has been achieved or lost through them. The study of America at war is an essential component of being an educated American. Still, there is something compelling in our military history that makes the study not only necessary, but enjoyable, as well. The desperation that drove Washington’s soldiers across the Delaware River at the end of 1776 intensifies an exciting story of American success against all odds. The sailors and Marines who planted the American flag on the rocky peak of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima still speak to us of courage and sacrifice. The commitment that led American airmen to the relief of West Berlin in the Cold War inspires us to the service of others. The stories of these men and women are exciting, and they matter. We should study them. Moreover, for all the suffering it brings, war has at times served noble pur- poses for the United States. Americans can find common pride in the chronicle of the Continental Army’s few victories and many defeats in the struggle for independence. We can accept that despite inflicting deep national wounds and lingering division, our Civil War yielded admirable results in the abolition of slavery and eventual national unity. We can cel- ebrate American resolve and character as the nation rallied behind a com- mon cause to free the world from tyranny in World War II. We can do all that without necessarily promoting war. In this series of books, Mason Crest Publishers offers students a foun- dation for the study of American wars. Building on the expertise of a team of accomplished authors, the series explores the causes, conduct, and con- sequences of America’s wars. It also presents educators with the means to take their students to a deeper understanding of the material through additional research and project ideas. I commend it to all students and to those who educate them to become responsible, informed Americans.

Chapter 1 The Attack on America E arly on the morning of September 11, 2001, ten Arab men were among the passengers boarding two Boeing 767 passenger jet airplanes at Boston’s Logan Airport. Five men boarded each plane, secretly carrying utility knives that were typically used to cut open boxes. Once the jets were in the air, the men used their knives to overpower the pilots and crew. They took con- trol of the jets and steered them south, toward New York City.

Workers search through the debris at Ground Zero, the remains of the World Trade Center in New York City. The September 11 attacks were planned by a terrorist group that was being sheltered in Afghanistan, leading the United States to go to war with that central Asian country.

War in Afghanistan: Overthrow of the Taliban and Aftermath

8

As the airplanes approached New York, the hijackers looked for the city’s tallest buildings—the twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. To many people, the towers were a symbol of America’s economic strength. At 8:46 A . M ., just as many people were arriving at work, one of the jets passenger jets crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower. It exploded, and burning jet fuel caused an enormous fire. Some people who were in lower floors were able to evacuate, but hundreds more were trapped inside the building. Initially, most of the shocked observers thought the plane crash was a tragic accident. They would soon learn that this was not the case. At 9:03 A . M . the second jet crashed into the South Tower. By then it was clear that the morning’s events were not accidents but acts of terrorism. As news spread, Americans were glued to their television sets. But the attack wasn’t over. At 9:37 A . M . a third plane, hijacked shortly after taking off from Washington, D.C., crashed into the Pentagon—the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense and a symbol of America’s military strength—in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth plane was also hijacked, but when passengers contacted their relatives and emergency personnel by cell phone and were informed of the earlier terrorist incidents, they realized that their plane, too, must be headed toward an important American institution, perhaps even the White House. Heroically, the passengers overwhelmed the hijackers and forced a crash landing in an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND IN THIS CHAPTER

Islamist— a person or group that supports the idea of government based on Muslim laws and doctrines, and is typically hostile toward the influence of Western societies and ideas. pariah— an outcast; a person or state that is hated by other people. traumatize— to cause someone to become upset in a way that leads to severe emotional problems.

The Attack on America

9

Smoke billows from the burning World Trade Center shortly after a passenger jet hit the building, September 11, 2001.

10:02 A . M . Everyone on the plane died in the crash. It is believed that the intended target of the fourth plane was either the Capitol, where the U.S. Congress meets, or the White House, where the president resides. Because all of the hijacked planes had been destined for Los Angeles, they carried thousands of gallons of jet fuel. In New York the explosions and ensuing fires raised the temperature inside the Twin Towers by thou- sands of degrees. The extreme heat weakened the buildings’ structures,

War in Afghanistan: Overthrow of the Taliban and Aftermath

10

Aerial view of the destruction caused when a hijacked commercial airliner crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. All 62 people on board the aircraft were killed, along with 125 people in the Pentagon.

and the twin towers soon collapsed, killing everyone still inside—includ- ing firemen, policemen, and emergency workers who had rushed into the buildings trying to save trapped workers. The city was showered for blocks around with ash, glass, and soot. The September 11 attacks were the deadliest foreign attack on U.S. soil in American history. More than 3,000 people were killed that day. Millions of other Americans were traumatized by the images of the col- lapsing towers and the charred Pentagon. Financial losses resulting from the attacks were estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Link to Afghanistan In the ensuing days, as evidence was collected, American intelligence offi- cials learned that the September 11 attacks had been planned and carried out by members of a group called al-Qaeda, which was led by a man

The Attack on America

11

named Osama bin Laden. The al-Qaeda organization had been sheltered in the country of Afghanistan since 1996. The organization operated camps where terrorists were trained, and planned attacks against the United States and other Western countries. The government of Afghanistan supported al-Qaeda’s goal of attacking the West. For many years Afghanistan had been a country in turmoil. Its people had fought against a Soviet invasion during the 1980s, and had waged a civil war during the early 1990s. In 1996 a faction known as the Taliban had gained power in the country. They were Islamists , who wanted to establish a state based on Muslim teachings from the seventh century. In Afghanistan, a Muslim religious student is known as a talib . Most supporters of the Taliban had been educated in religious schools, called madrassas , that were set up for Afghan boys in Pakistan. The madrassas in Pakistan were unlike those in other Muslim countries, however. The teachers were members of a tradition known as Deobandi, which had developed during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Pakistan and India were ruled as a British colony. The Deobandi move- ment called for a strict interpretation of Islam, and wished to eliminate all foreign influences. Deobandis do not believe in national borders. They claim that a Muslim’s only allegiance should be to Allah (god), and that they should be willing to fight for their religion against those who have

President George W. Bush (center) and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (right) look at satellite images after the September 11 terrorist attack. With them is vice president Richard “Dick” Cheney (left).

War in Afghanistan: Overthrow of the Taliban and Aftermath

12

different beliefs. Muslims call this jihad , or holy war. Even before the September 11 attacks, the Taliban government had become an international pariah due to its support for terrorists, viola- tions of human rights, and destruction of cultural treasures. After the surprise attack, U.S. President George W. Bush declared a “war on terrorism.” Afghanistan was the first target. On October 7, 2001, the United States Air Force began bombing sites inside Afghanistan. The American war in Afghanistan had begun.

1. At what time did the first airplane hit the World Trade Center? 2. Why was the Pentagon targeted by terrorists? 3. What does the Pashto word talib mean? TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS

Islamism is a political movement in which the government is based on Muslim teachings that date from the seventh century. To Islamists, any developments since the time of the Prophet Muhammad are considered to be corruptions of the proper way to live. Using the Internet or your school library, find some examples of countries that have an Islamist gov- ernment. Explain how their government is different from the system in the United States today. RESEARCH PROJECT

Chapter 2 A Country in Turmoil T he origins of the American war in Afghanistan go back decades, and events from centuries ago play an important part. Afghanistan today is a very diverse country. This is because of its location on the major trade routes that passed through central Asia between the historic empires in Persia (Iran) and India. As a result, many different ethnic groups, who speak more than 30 different languages, live in Afghanistan. The largest of these groups are the Pashtun, who make up nearly half of the population. They live primarily in southern and eastern Afghanistan, although Pashtun communities can be found

Soviet troops in armored vehicles patrol a rural area of Afghanistan. The Soviet invasion in 1979 drew international condemnation. Soviet troops remained in the country for more than a decade.

War in Afghanistan: Overthrow of the Taliban and Aftermath

14

throughout the country. The Pashtun are a proud people who live by a code of conduct, Pashtunwali , that emphasizes honor. The language of the Pashtun, Pashto, is widely spoken in the country. Other important ethnic groups in Afghanistan are the Tajiks, who mostly live around Herat, a provincial capital in the west, and in north- eastern Afghanistan. Uzbeks and Turkmen live in the north, while the Hazara live in Afghanistan’s central mountain ranges. Many smaller eth- nic groups can be found within the country as well. Due to Afghanistan’s ethnic diversity, it has been difficult for the coun- try to forge a national identity. The Afghan people tend to be more devot- ed to their tribe and religion than to the nation. Afghans do put aside their ethnic differences to confront outside threats, such as the Soviet invasion and occupation that began in 1979, but this unity tends to disappear once

the external threat is removed. A Country in Turmoil

Due to the recent decades of conflict in Afghanistan, today many Americans view the country as as a backwater where ethnic groups are

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND IN THIS CHAPTER

boycott— a punitive ban that forbids interaction with certain groups until they change their behavior. Cold War— a period of tensions between the world’s two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, that lasted from 1947 until 1991. The two countries did not fight an open conflict during the Cold War; instead, each tried influence other countries to support its goals and objectives. colonialism— a policy in which one country directly rules outlying ter- ritories and uses their labor and resources to increase its power. cosmopolitan— a society where aspects of many different cultures are blended easily together. coup d’état— a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a gov- ernment. exile— to be banned from a native country.