Timeline: War on Terrorism in the 21st Century

Sep 11, 2001

Attacks of 9/11

Four planes were hijacked by Al-Qaeda members on a suicide mission. Two of the planes hit the twin towers at the World Trade Center, one was crashed into the Pentagon and the fourth plane crashed in a field outside of Washington DC. Almost 3000 people died because of this event.

Oct 7, 2001

War in Afghanistan begins

The US and Great Britain begin airstrikes in Afghanistan. The targets were Taliban and Al Qaeda training camps. Osama Bin Laden releases a video messege stating that "What America is tasting now is only a copy of what we have tasted."

Feb 21, 2002

Execution of Daniel Pearl

A video is released showing the execution of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The orchestrator was Khalid Sheikh Mohommed, known as KSM, who claims he was a mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.

Dec 13, 2003

Saddam Hussein Captured

Saddam Hussein was the Iraqi president from 1979 until 2003. His presidency held with it a lot of civil rights injustices and some 250,000 arbitrary killings. He ran a repressive authoritarian government and invaded his neighboring coutries of Iran and Kuwait. The US and British government sought him out in response to suspecting he had possession of weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al-Qaeda. He was captured in Ad-Dawr, Iraq.

Mar 11, 2004

Bombing of Trains in Madrid

Three days before Spain's general elections four commuter trains in Madrid are targetted and bombed. The primary suspects were Islamic militants who were based in Spain but inspired by Al-Qaeda. The bombs killed 179 people and injured another 2000 people.

May 2, 2011

Osama Bin Laden is Killed

Osama Bin Laden was a founder of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. He was wanted for masterminding the attacks on 9/11. He managed to lay low and stay in hiding for ten years. He was found by US special operations forces during a raid at a Abbottabad, Pakistan compound.

Dec 28, 2014

War in Afghanistan Ends

The War in Afghanistan officially ends. President Obama says that 10,800 US Troops will remain in Afghanistan. 176,000 people were estimated to have been killed during the war. This included over 46,000 civilians. Over 7,000 US Troops were killed.

May 9, 2022

WORKS CITED

History.com Editors. “A Timeline of the U.S.-Led War on Terror.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 1 Feb. 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/war-on-terror-timeline. “September 11 Attacks: 20th Anniversary Stories.” AARP, https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/911/. “Remembering the Gains of the Afghanistan War.” Lawfare, 16 Oct. 2021, https://www.lawfareblog.com/remembering-gains-afghanistan-war.

May 9, 2022