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U.S Launches attack
U.S. and British forces begin airstrikes in Afghanistan after the Taliban refuse to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. -
Taliban abandon Kabul
1,300 U.S. troops were involved in this offensive and Taliban fighters abandon Kabul after weeks of air assaults. -
Hamid Karzai Interim Leader
Pashtun royalist Hamid Karzai is sworn in as interim head of conference of Afghan factions, minus the taliban. -
Taliban stronghold falls
The United States begins an aerial bombing campaign against the Taliban. Taliban give up last stronghold of Kandahar. But Bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar escape. -
Hunt for Osama Bin Laden
Afghan militias track Osama bin laden to Tora Bora cave southeast of Kabul. A two week fierce battle with Al-Qaida militants is fought but Osama manages to escape. Some experts believe he fled to Pakistan on horseback. -
Hamid Karzai elected as head of state
Hamid Karzai is elected as head of state of a new interim government by the loya jirga, or grand council. Also, Karzai picks members of his administration which is to serve until 2004. -
NATO deploys troops
Nato takes control of security in Kabul, its first-ever operational commitment outside Europe. The U.S. has more than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan -
New Constitution
Council of elders or Loya Jirga ratifies a new constitution, making Afghanistan an Islamic state with a strong president. -
Hamid Karzai wins
Afghanistan holds its first democratic presidential elections.. Hamid Karzai wins elections and takes control of the administration. -
Heavy casualities
The most violent year since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion began, with at least 120 U.S. troop deaths and 104 from other NATO nations. There are now 31,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Civilian deaths by American and International forces see marked increase too, turning Afghan sentiments against their presence. -
NATO forces
Shortly after President Barack Obama's inauguration, there are 36,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. NATO forces total 32,000. -
Troop surge
President Obama approves adding another 17,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. -
Changing Approach
Changing ways from Bush Administration, Senior U.S. military officials and commanders call on International community & NATO to supply non-military assets to Afghanistan. Officials stress the need to step up in building Afghan civil society and investing in reconstruction efforts. -
General McKiernan replaced
Top U.S. general in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, is replaced by Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal as Obama tries to turn around the stalemated war. -
Marines deploy
First deployment of Marines moves into Afghanistan; by June 9, more than 10,000 are in place to ramp up operations against the Taliban. By December President Obama announces deployment of additional 30,000 US troops. -
Voilence Soars
Violence increases across the country in july & intense fighting erupting in the south.The number of suicide attacks soared from 27 in 2005 to 139 in 2006 and detonated bombings doubled to appox. 1,677. -
Additional forces
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, says in a confidential report that without additional forces, the war against insurgents will end in failure. -
Elections
After more than two months of uncertainty following a disputed presidential election on August 20, President Hamid Karzai wins another term. In the August 20th elections Karzai was against Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani,which were marred by fraud allegations. Now two weeks before the runoff, his challenger drops out of the race, and Karzai is declared the winner. -
Deadliest Month
October becomes the deadliest month with 58 U.S. troops killed. Officials expect Obama to make a decision soon to deploy 32,000 to 35,000 more U.S. forces. -
Additional Troops
Nine months after renewing the U.S. commitment to the Afghan war effort, President Obama announces a major escalation of the U.S. mission. The Associated Press reports ahead of the speech that Obama will send an additional 30,000 troops. About 71,000 U.S. troops are currently in Afghanistan. At least 849 U.S. troops have been killed so far in the war.
