The United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks from October 7, 2001, to August 31, 2021, as a part of the war on terror. Participants in the initial American operation, Operation Enduring Freedom, included a NATO coalition whose initial goals were to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions after the fall of the Taliban regime in December 2001. However, coalition forces were gradually involved in the broader war as well, as Taliban resistance continued until 2021, when they regained control of the country and formed a new government. This is a list of known code names and related information for military operations associated with the war, including operations to airlift citizens of coalition countries and at-risk Afghan civilians from Afghanistan as the war drew to a close.
See main article: September 11 attacks and 9/11 Commission. From May 1996, Osama bin Laden had been living in Afghanistan along with other members of al-Qaeda, operating terrorist training camps in a loose alliance with the Taliban.[1] Following the 1998 US embassy bombings in Africa, the US military launched cruise missiles at these camps with limited effect on their overall operations. A follow-on plan, Operation Infinite Resolve, was planned but not implemented. The UN Security Council issued Resolutions 1267 and 1333 in 1999 and 2000, respectively, applying financial and military hardware sanctions to encourage the Taliban to turn over bin Laden to appropriate authorities for trial in the embassy bombings, as well as to close terrorist training camps.
After the September 11, 2001, attacks, investigators rapidly accumulated evidence implicating bin Laden. In a taped statement released in 2004, bin Laden publicly acknowledged his and al-Qaeda's direct involvement in the attacks. In an audiotape posted on a website that the US claims is "frequently used by al-Qaeda," on May 21, 2006, bin Laden said that he had personally directed the 19 hijackers.
See main article: 2001 in Afghanistan, United States invasion of Afghanistan and Taliban insurgency.
The war in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as Operation Enduring Freedom, in response to the 9/11 attacks. This conflict marked the beginning of the US war on terror. The stated purpose of the invasion was to capture Osama bin Laden, destroy al-Qaeda, and remove the Taliban regime, which had provided them support and safe harbor. In December, the Taliban government fell and a transitional government was established.
See also: War in North-West Pakistan.
See main article: Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2006. In January 2006, NATO's focus in southern Afghanistan was to form Provincial Reconstruction Teams with the British leading in Helmand Province and the Netherlands and Canada leading similar deployments in Orūzgān Province and Kandahar Province, respectively. The Americans remained in control of Zabul Province. Local Taliban figures voiced opposition to the incoming force and pledged to resist it.
See main article: Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2007.
US and NATO ISAF operations, alongside Afghan National Army forces, continued against the Taliban in 2007. Significant military operations in 2007 included operations around Sangin, Operation Achilles, the Battle of Chora, Operation Harekate Yolo and the Battle of Musa Qala, among others.
See main article: Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2008.
Significant military operations in 2008 included the Helmand province campaign, Operation Karez, and Operation Eagle's Summit, among others.
See main article: Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2009.
The following table lists known military operations of the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021).
| Operation name | From date | To date | Location | Purpose/result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Alasay | Alasay | Battle: A coalition victory enabled the construction of two bases for the Afghan National Army in the valley near the village, which had been guerrilla control since 2006 | |||
| Battle of Chora | Chora | Battle: This battle, which involved a significant number of Dutch forces, resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people | |||
| Battle of Dahaneh | Dahaneh in the Helmand Province | ||||
| Battle of Firebase Anaconda | Uruzgan province | Battle: A group of roughly 75 Taliban militants mounted a frontal assault on a United States-led coalition base | |||
| Battle of Garmsir | Garmsir in the Helmand Province | Counterinsurgency A Major US Marine offensive on the Taliban-held town killing more than 400 insurgents. Taliban forces withdrew from the town as a result of the assault and took up a position further south | |||
| Battle of Musa Qala | Musa Qala | Battle: A British-led operation involving the Afghan National Army that resulted in a coalition victory and a Taliban retreat into the nearby mountains | |||
| Battle of Nawzad | Nawzad District in the Northern Helmand Province | ||||
| Battle of Panjwaii | Panjwayi District | Battle: Decisive Canadian victory, Panjwayi cleared of Taliban | |||
| Battle of Qala-i-Jangi | Qala-i-Jangi District | Battle: It began with the uprising of Taliban prisoners held at Qala-i-Jangi fortress and escalated into one of the bloodiest engagements of the war in Afghanistan | |||
| Battle of Takur Ghar | The peak of Takur Ghar | Battle: A helicopter caring a SEAL team went down and began receiving fire from hostile forces | |||
| Battle of Tora Bora | Pachir Wa Agam District, Nangarhar province | Battle: Attempt and failure to kill or capture Osama bin Laden | |||
| Operation Accius | Throughout Afghanistan | Contingency: The Canadian military's contribution to the civilian-led United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) | |||
| Operation Achilles | The Sangin and Kajaki districts of Helmand | Counterinsurgency: An attempt to stabilize the security situation in the province | |||
| Operation Allies Refuge | Throughout Afghanistan | Evacuation: To evacuate US nationals, embassy staff, and allied Afghan nationals from the country during and after the 2021 Taliban offensive | |||
| Operation Anaconda | Shah-i-Kot Valley and Paktika Province | Counterinsurgency: Attempt to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces | |||
| Operation Apollo | Throughout Afghanistan | Contingency: The codename for an operation conducted by Canadian Forces in support of the United States in its military operations in Afghanistan | |||
| Operation Archer | Throughout Afghanistan | Contingency: The Canadian Forces contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan | |||
| Operation Argus (Afghanistan) | Operation Argus | Throughout Afghanistan | Contingency and Security: Canadian Forces team of strategic military planners to support the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | ||
| Operation Asbury Park | Oruzgan Province and Zabul Province | Counterinsurgency: Was characterized by atypical fighting on the side of the tactics of the Taliban and other guerrillas encountered | |||
| Operation Asbury Park II | The Dey Chopan District | Counterinsurgency: Army infantrymen, Afghan National Army troops, and attached Marines again sparred with ACM forces in the region, inflicting significant losses against the enemy | |||
| Operation Athena | Kabul and Kandahar | Security: The Canadian Forces contribution to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan | |||
| Operation Avalanche | Southeast Afghanistan | Counterinsurgency: To search out al-Qaeda members while conducting assessments to establish conditions for the provision of humanitarian aid | |||
| Operation Baawar (Assurance) | The Horn of Panjwayi in Kandahar Province | To take a Taliban stronghold and build roads in the district | |||
| Operation Bulldog Bite | Kunar Province | Counterinsurgency: Destroyed two Taliban camps in the Watapur District | |||
| Operation Buzzard | Khowst region | Counterinsurgency: Forced al-Qaeda and the Taliban to abandon a large-scale presence in much of the region | |||
| Operation Celtics | Counterinsurgency and Humanitarian: To hunt down enemy fighters and provide humanitarian support | ||||
| Operation Cobra's Anger | A valley in the Nawzad District | ||||
| Operation Condor | The mountains of Paktia province | Counterinsurgency: British forces engaged in combat with al-Qaeda and Taliban forces | |||
| Operation Counterstrike | Kandahar Airfield | ||||
| Operation Crescent Wind | Throughout Afghanistan | The codename for an American and British bombing campaign | |||
| Operation Devi Shakti | Throughout Afghanistan | ||||
| Operation Diablo Dragnet | Kandahar Airfield | ||||
| Operation Diablo Reach Back | Kandahar Province | Combined Task Force Bayonet forces engaged Taliban forces | |||
| Operation Diesel | Sangin, Helmand Province | A raid by British troops on a Taliban drug factory and arms stronghold | |||
| Operation Dragon Strike | Kandahar Province | Counterinsurgency: To reclaim the province from the Taliban | |||
| Operation Dragon Tree | Kandahar | Counterinsurgency: Searched for weapons caches | |||
| Operation Eagle's Summit (Oqab Tsuka) | Kandahar and Helmand Provinces | With the objective of transporting a 220-tonne turbine to the Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province through Taliban-controlled territory. Cited by the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations as one of the largest logistical operations carried out by the British Army since World War II[7] | |||
| Operation Falcon Summit | The Panjwayi and Zhari districts of Kandahar | Counterinsurgency: Had the intention of expelling Taliban fighters | |||
| Operation Flashman | Paktika Province | Humanitarian and Security: To bring stability to the area and establish voter registration sites | |||
| Operation Hamkari | 2010 | ||||
| Operation Hammer (Chakush) | The Upper Grishk Valley in Helmand province | ||||
| Operation Harekate Yolo (Front Straightening) | Northwest Afghanistan | Counterinsurgency: Targeted hostile forces in the northern provinces | |||
| Operation Haven Denial | The Paktika and Khost provinces | Counterinsurgency: Targeted against Taliban remnants and al-Qaeda fighters | |||
| Operation Headstrong | Kabul | Law enforcement: Involved the training of Afghan commandos by British special forces to seek out and destroy drug laboratories and to confiscate drug shipments | |||
| Operation Herrick | Throughout Afghanistan | Contingency: The codename for all British combat operations in Afghanistan from 2002 until 2014 | |||
| Operation Highroad | The second phase of the Australian Defence Force's operation in Afghanistan | ||||
| Operation Hoover | Kandahar Province district of Zhari | Counterinsurgency: Was a Canadian-led offensive against the Taliban | |||
| Operation Jacana | Khost province, Paktia Province | With the aim of capturing or killing al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants | |||
| Operation Jaws | Helmand province | ||||
| Operation Karez | Badghis Province | ||||
| Operation Khanjar (Strike of the Sword) | Helmand Province | Counterinsurgency: A major US Marine offensive to secure the province | |||
| Operation Lastay Kulang (Pickaxe Handle) | Helmand province | A British-led NATO operation | |||
| Operation Lightning Resolve | Throughout Afghanistan | Security: Provide security in support of the first democratic elections ever in Afghanistan | |||
| Operation Lions Pride | Korangal Valley | Humanitarian: To provide medical assistance to more than 3,100 Afghans | |||
| Operation Mavericks | The mountains of Eastern Afghanistan | Counterinsurgency: Detained suspected terrorists and confiscating several weapons and explosives caches | |||
| Operation Medusa | Kandahar Province | Counterinsurgency: A Canadian-led offensive by major elements of the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan National Army | |||
| Operation Miracle | Throughout Afghanistan | Evacuation: An operation of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces to evacuate Afghan nationals from the country after the fall of Kabul | |||
| Operation Moshtarak (Together, Joint) | Marjah in the Helmand Province "poppy-growing belt" | Counterinsurgency: The largest military offensive ever launched by NATO troops in Afghanistan to clear the city of Taliban militants and drug traffickers eliminating the last Taliban stronghold in Helmand. It involved US Marine units and Afghan troops along with the US Special Forces and other ISAF members[8] | |||
| Operation Mountain Blizzard | The south, southeast, and eastern portions of Afghanistan | Counterinsurgency: Killed 22 enemy combatants and discovered caches with 3,648 rockets, 3,202 mortar rounds, 2,944 rocket-propelled grenades, 3,000 rifle rounds, 2,232 mines and tens of thousands of rounds of small-arms ammunition | |||
| Operation Mountain Fury | Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktia, and Logar Provinces | Counterinsurgency: A NATO-led operation as a follow-up operation to Operation Medusa, to clear Taliban rebels from the eastern provinces of Afghanistan | |||
| Operation Mountain Lion | Near the Pakistan border | Counterinsurgency: Searching along the border with Pakistan for al-Qaeda and former Taliban forces | |||
| Operation Mountain Reach II | Kunar Province | US Army, Theatre Assets, ANSF, ANP, ANA were ambushed by 150+ Taliban for 8.5 hours along the route from Marawara District Center to Daridam Village area. 60-80 Taliban killed; three US soldiers wounded | |||
| Operation Mountain Resolve | Nuristan and Kunar Provinces | Counterinsurgency: The operation involved an airdrop into the Hindu Kush Mountains by the US 10th Mountain Division and resulted in the killing of Hezbi commander Ghulam Sakhee | |||
| Operation Mountain Storm | The south, southeast, and eastern portions of Afghanistan | With the aim of cornering al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants | |||
| Operation Mountain Sweep | Mainly around Dormat and Narizah, south of Khowst and Gardez | Was designed to search out al-Qaeda and Taliban forces and information about the terrorist organizations | |||
| Operation Mountain Thrust | Kandahar, Helmand, Paktika, Zabul and Uruzgan Provinces | A major offensive, the primary objective of which was to quell the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan | |||
| Operation Mountain Viper | The mountains of the Dey Chopan District, Zabul province | Sought to uncover Taliban rebels. Deaths included 124 militants, five Afghan Army personnel and one US soldier | |||
| Operation Neptune (Afghanistan) | Operation Neptune | Nawa District | |||
| Operation New Dawn | Helmand Province | An extension of Operation Moshtarak, a joint ISAF / ANA operation, led by the United States Marines, to disrupt insurgents and deny them freedom of movement in areas between Marjah and Nawa[9] [10] | |||
| Operation Northern Wind | |||||
| Operation Oracle | |||||
| Operation Oqab (Eagle) | Kunduz Province | To force the Taliban out of the province | |||
| Operation Palk Mesher | Helmand Province | To disrupt and eliminate insurgents | |||
| Operation Panther's Claw (Panchai Palang) | Helmand Province | 350 British Troops attacked a Taliban Stronghold near Babaji | |||
| Operation Pil | The Watapor Valley of the Kunar Province | To improve security and assist in stabilizing the government in the region | |||
| Operation Pitting | Throughout Afghanistan | Evacuation: To evacuate British nationals, embassy staff, and allied Afghan nationals from the country during and after the 2021 Taliban offensive | |||
| Operation Pizmah | Zabul Province | To reestablish a coalition presence in the districts of Dey Chopan, Argandab and Khaki-Afghan | |||
| Operation Ptarmigan | Gardez and Khost regions | The name given to the British share of military actions with US and coalition forces | |||
| Operation Red Wings | Kunar Province | Counterterrorism mission | |||
| Operation Rhino | Kandahar | US troops seized an airstrip from the Taliban that would eventually become Camp Rhino | |||
| Operation Shahi Tandar | Kandahar Province | A series of raids and operations against Taliban insurgents | |||
| Operation Silicon | Upper Helmand Province | A sub-operation of Operation Achilles, carried out by NATO (mostly British) and Afghan troops. Recaptured Grishk from the Taliban | |||
| Operation Silver | Counterinsurgency: Conducted to keep up the pressure on the Taliban in the hopes of blunting an expected spring offensive | ||||
| Operation Sleigh Ride | Forward operating bases at Salerno, Ghazni, Orgun-E and Sharana | Christmas-time morale boost for troops | |||
| Operation Slipper | The first phase of the Australian Defence Force's operation in Afghanistan | ||||
| Operation Snipe | The remote Afghan mountains | A British Royal Marine search and clear operation over a significant area believed to be used as a base by al-Qaeda and Taliban forces | |||
| Operation Sond Chara (Red Dagger) | Taliban strongholds near the town of Nad-e-Ali in Helmand Province | To secure the area around the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah after an increase in insurgent attacks there, as well as to safeguard a planned voter registration program | |||
| Operation Sparviero | Codename for the Italian Army's contributions to the ISAF | ||||
| Operation Toral | Throughout Afghanistan | Contingency: The codename for all British combat operations in Afghanistan from 2015 until the end of the war in 2021 | |||
| Operation Torii | |||||
| Operation Tor Shezada | The operation was planned and executed by the International Security Assistance Force forces and Afghan army whose mission was to clear insurgents from Seyyedabad to the south of Nad-e Ali in Helmand province, in parallel to similar operations by the U.S. Marine Corps in Northern Marjah. Enabled by the UK Joint Aviation Group - UK Apache Attack Helicopters from 664 Squadron AAC alongside UK Chinook and Merlin heavy lift aircraft and USMC CH-53s, Osprey V-22s, Cobra Attack Helicopters and numerous other international Fixed Wing air assets. | ||||
| Operation Veritas | Throughout Afghanistan | Contingency: The codename for all British combat operations in Afghanistan from the start of the war in 2001 until 2002 | |||
| Operation Vigilance | Wardak Province | Counterinsurgency and Humanitarian: Targeted three individuals that coalition forces were trying to kill or capture, and included humanitarian aid drops in several villages | |||
| Operation Volcano | Near the Kajaki hydroelectric dam | Was a British operation to clear a Taliban base, consisting of 25 compounds. Was part of Operation Achilles | |||
| Operation Warrior Sweep | The Zormat Valley, Paktia province | ||||
| Operation Wyconda Pincer | Districts of Bala Buluk and Pusht-i-Rod, in Farah province | Italian and Spanish Task-Force 45, killed 70 Taliban | |||
| Operation Solace | Districts of Kabul, in Kabul province | Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO): Portuguese evacuate allied Afghan nationals from the country after the 2021 Taliban offensiven [11] |