War in Afghanistan Timeline

(October 7, 2001 – August 30, 2021)

The War in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict that began in October 2001, when a U.S.-led coalition invaded Afghanistan to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban from power following the September 11 attacks. The war evolved into a two-decade-long counterinsurgency involving NATO forces, Afghan government troops, and Taliban fighters, ending with the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021 and the Taliban's recapture of Kabul. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Soviet-Afghan War

Saur Revolution in Afghanistan

Apr 27, 1978

The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, backed by military officers, overthrew President Mohammed Daoud Khan in a coup known as the Saur Revolution. The new communist government under Nur Muhammad Taraki launched sweeping secular reforms, provoking resistance from rural and religious communities across the country.

Image source: Saur Revolution

Herat uprising against communist government

Mar 1979

A major anti-communist uprising erupted in the western city of Herat, with rebels killing government officials and Soviet advisors before being suppressed by regime forces with heavy casualties, foreshadowing widespread rebellion.

Image source: 1979 Herat uprising

Mujahideen receive US support through Operation Cyclone

Jul 3, 1979

The CIA's Operation Cyclone funneled billions of dollars in weapons and funding, largely through Pakistan, to the mujahideen fighting the Soviet occupation, becoming one of the longest covert operations in US history.

Image source: Operation Cyclone

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan begins

Dec 24, 1979

The Soviet Union deployed thousands of troops into Afghanistan to prop up its faltering communist ally, overthrowing Hafizullah Amin and installing Babrak Karmal as leader, beginning a decade-long war.

Image source: Soviet–Afghan War

Operation Storm-333 kills Afghan president Amin

Dec 27, 1979

Soviet special forces stormed the Tajbeg Palace in Kabul, assassinating President Hafizullah Amin and installing Babrak Karmal as the new head of the Afghan government.

Image source: Operation Storm-333

United States boycotts Moscow Olympics

Mar 21, 1980

In protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States led a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, joined by more than 60 other countries.

Image source: 1980 Summer Olympics boycott

Battle of Kandahar

Sep 1981

Mujahideen forces besieged the strategic southern city of Kandahar, one of the largest urban battles of the war, demonstrating the growing strength of the insurgency.

Image source: Arghun dynasty

Geneva Accords signed; Soviet withdrawal begins

Apr 14, 1988 - May 15, 1988

Afghanistan and Pakistan signed the Geneva Accords under UN auspices, guaranteeing non-interference and setting a timetable for the withdrawal of Soviet troops, which began in May 1988.

Soviet forces complete withdrawal from Afghanistan

May 15, 1988 - Feb 15, 1989

The last Soviet soldiers crossed the Friendship Bridge out of Afghanistan on February 15, 1989, ending nearly a decade of costly occupation that killed over a million Afghans.

Image source: Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan

Civil War and Taliban Rise

Battle of Kabul during Afghan civil war

Jan 1, 1992 - Dec 31, 1996

Rival militia factions, particularly those of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Ahmad Shah Massoud, fought devastating artillery duels for control of Kabul, killing tens of thousands of civilians.

Image source: Battle of Kabul (1992–1996)

Fall of Najibullah government

Apr 1992

The Soviet-backed government of Mohammad Najibullah collapsed as mujahideen forces closed in on Kabul, and the Islamic State of Afghanistan was proclaimed under interim leader Sibghatullah Mojaddedi.

Image source: Islamic State of Afghanistan

Peshawar Accord establishes power-sharing government

Apr 24, 1992

Mujahideen factions signed the Peshawar Accord to establish a transitional power-sharing state, but rivalries between commanders soon descended into civil war.

Image source: Peshawar Accord

Fall of Kandahar to the Taliban

Nov 3, 1994

The Taliban, a movement of religious students emerging from southern Afghanistan, captured Kandahar, marking their rise as a major military force promising order amid lawlessness.

Image source: Taliban

Fall of Herat to the Taliban

Sep 5, 1995

Taliban forces seized the key western city of Herat from Ismail Khan's forces after months of fighting, expanding their control across much of Afghanistan.

Image source: Herat

Taliban capture Kabul and establish Islamic Emirate

Sep 27, 1996

The Taliban captured Kabul, ousted the Rabbani government, publicly executed former president Najibullah, and imposed strict Sharia rule including bans on education and employment for women.

Image source: Fall of Kabul (2001)

Northern Alliance formed against the Taliban

Oct 9, 1996

Opposing factions united as the United Islamic Front, commonly known as the Northern Alliance, holding northern Afghanistan against Taliban advances throughout the late 1990s.

Image source: Northern Alliance

Al-Qaeda bombings of US embassies in Africa

Aug 7, 1998

Al-Qaeda, sheltering in Afghanistan under Taliban protection, bombed US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, leading the US to launch cruise missile strikes on training camps in Afghanistan.

Image source: 1998 United States embassy bombings

UN sanctions imposed on the Taliban

Oct 15, 1999

UN Security Council Resolution 1267 imposed sanctions on the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, demanding his extradition.

Image source: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267

Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban

Mar 2001

The Taliban dynamited the monumental sixth-century Bamiyan Buddha statues, drawing international condemnation and symbolizing the regime's cultural intolerance.

Image source: Buddhas of Bamiyan

Assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud

Sep 9, 2001

Two al-Qaeda operatives posing as journalists assassinated Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud at Khwaja Bahauddin, removing the Taliban's most formidable opponent two days before the September 11 attacks.

Image source: Ahmad Shah Massoud

US-led Invasion

September 11 attacks on the United States

Sep 11, 2001

Al-Qaeda hijackers attacked New York and Washington, DC, killing nearly 3,000 people. The attacks, traced back to bin Laden in Afghanistan, triggered the US-led intervention.

Image source: September 11 attacks

Operation Enduring Freedom begins

Oct 7, 2001

The United States and Britain launched air strikes and special operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden.

Image source: Operation Enduring Freedom

Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif to Northern Alliance and coalition

Nov 9, 2001

Northern Alliance forces backed by US airstrikes captured Mazar-i-Sharif, the first major city to fall, opening supply lines into northern Afghanistan.

Image source: Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif

Fall of Kabul to Northern Alliance forces

Nov 13, 2001

Taliban forces abandoned Kabul without a fight, allowing Northern Alliance troops to enter the capital and end five years of Taliban rule.

Bonn Agreement creates post-Taliban government

Dec 5, 2001

Afghan factions met in Bonn, Germany, and agreed on an interim administration under Hamid Karzai and a roadmap toward elections and constitutional government.

Image source: Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan)

Battle of Tora Bora

Dec 12, 2001 - Dec 17, 2001

US and allied Afghan forces attacked the Tora Bora cave complex where bin Laden was believed to be hiding, but he escaped across the border into Pakistan.

Image source: Battle of Tora Bora

Hamid Karzai sworn in as interim Afghan leader

Dec 22, 2001

Hamid Karzai was inaugurated as chairman of the Afghan Interim Administration in Kabul, beginning more than a decade of leadership of the country.

Image source: Hamid Karzai

NATO Era and Reconstruction

ISAF created under NATO command

Aug 11, 2003

NATO assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force, which had been established by UN mandate in December 2001 to provide security in and around Kabul.

Image source: International Security Assistance Force

New Afghan constitution ratified

Jan 26, 2004

Afghanistan adopted a new constitution establishing an Islamic republic with a strong presidential system, enshrining equal rights for men and women on paper.

Image source: Politics of Afghanistan

First presidential election held in Afghanistan

Oct 9, 2004 - Oct 10, 2004

Afghans voted in the country's first direct presidential election, overwhelmingly electing Hamid Karzai with about 55 percent of the vote despite security concerns and technical irregularities.

Battle of Marjah launched

Feb 13, 2010 - Feb 25, 2010

US, British, and Afghan troops launched the largest operation since 2001 to clear the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand province, aiming to restore government authority.

Death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan

May 2, 2011

US Navy SEALs killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where he had been hiding for years after fleeing Afghanistan.

Image source: Killing of Osama bin Laden

Ashraf Ghani succeeds Karzai as Afghan president

Sep 29, 2014

Following a disputed election and a power-sharing deal brokered by the US, Ashraf Ghani was inaugurated as president with Abdullah Abdullah appointed chief executive officer.

Image source: 2014 Afghan presidential election

Taliban Resurgence and Withdrawal

Combat mission ends; NATO transitions to Resolute Support

Dec 28, 2014

The NATO combat mission formally concluded, transitioning to the Resolute Support training and advisory mission while Afghan forces took primary responsibility for security.

Image source: Resolute Support Mission

Taliban briefly capture Kunduz

Sep 28, 2015 - Oct 13, 2015

Taliban fighters seized the major northern city of Kunduz, the first provincial capital to fall to them since 2001, before being driven out by Afghan forces weeks later.

Image source: Battle of Kunduz (2015)

Kunduz hospital airstrike kills dozens

Oct 3, 2015

A US airstrike hit a Doctors Without Borders trauma center in Kunduz, killing at least 42 people and prompting international outrage and investigations.

Image source: Kunduz hospital airstrike

Ghani re-elected amid disputed results

Sep 28, 2019 - Feb 18, 2020

President Ashraf Ghani narrowly won re-election according to final results announced in February 2020, though Abdullah Abdullah also claimed victory, deepening political division.

Image source: 2019 Afghan presidential election

US-Taliban Doha agreement signed

Feb 29, 2020

The United States signed an agreement with the Taliban in Doha providing for a full American troop withdrawal by May 2021 in exchange for Taliban counterterrorism assurances and talks with the Afghan government.

Intra-Afghan peace talks begin in Doha

Sep 12, 2020

Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban began historic face-to-face negotiations in Doha, Qatar, though violence continued and little progress was made.

Image source: 2020–2021 US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

Final US and NATO troops begin withdrawal

May 1, 2021 - Aug 30, 2021

President Joe Biden set a deadline of August 31, 2021, and the final US-led military withdrawal began on May 1, accelerating the collapse of Afghan government forces.

Image source: 2020–2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

Taliban offensive captures provincial capitals nationwide

Aug 6, 2021 - Aug 15, 2021

In a rapid summer campaign, the Taliban seized most provincial capitals within days as demoralized Afghan forces surrendered or fled, encircling Kabul with little organized resistance.

Image source: 2021 Taliban offensive

Evacuation of Kabul airport concludes

Aug 14, 2021 - Aug 30, 2021

Amid chaotic scenes at Hamid Karzai International Airport, including a deadly suicide bombing on August 26 that killed 183 people, Western nations evacuated over 120,000 people before the last US aircraft departed on August 30, 2021.

Image source: 2021 Kabul airlift

Fall of Kabul and return of Taliban rule

Aug 15, 2021

Taliban fighters entered Kabul unopposed as President Ashraf Ghani fled abroad, ending the twenty-year war and restoring the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Image source: Fall of Kabul (2021)

Key Facts

The war began on October 7, 2001, when the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the September 11 attacks, which were orchestrated by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden while based in Afghanistan.
The Taliban regime quickly collapsed, with Kabul falling on November 13, 2001, but the group later regrouped and waged a long insurgency against Afghan and international forces.
In May 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs during a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The war became the longest military conflict in U.S. history, costing over $2 trillion and resulting in more than 170,000 deaths, including tens of thousands of civilians.
The war ended with the U.S. withdrawal completed on August 30, 2021, followed by the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021.

Source

This War in Afghanistan timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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