The death of Osama bin Laden is a major milestone in the war on terror. He was killed in a city in Pakistan after fleeing from his sanctuary in Afghanistan shortly after the war in Afghanistan began. The death of bin Laden was seen as one of the goals of the war. Nearly 10 years after the impetus for finding the terrorist mastermind, many people have felt a sense of justice.
There are several key points leading up to the death of bin Laden, starting with the worst terrorist attack in United States history.
Sept. 11, 2001: Terrorism struck the United States
Four planes were hijacked on a mid-September morning in 2001. One each was flown into the World Trade Center towers, one into the Pentagon and another crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. After intelligence gathering, it was eventually determined bin Laden was the mastermind behind the attacks. He was being sheltered by a repressive regime in Afghanistan called the Taliban.
Sept. 18, 2001: Declaration of war
The United States declared war on terrorists after Congress and President George W. Bush authorized military action. No country was specified and instead the war was declared against organization.
Oct. 7, 2001: Shock and awe began
The aerial bombing of Afghanistan began less than a month after the terrorist attacks. U.S. forces referred to the bombardment as "shock and awe" in an effort to decimate Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
Nov. 13, 2001: Kabul fell
The capital of Afghanistan, the city of Kabul, fell to Northern Alliance forces within five weeks of the war starting. Villages surrounding the city had been used as Taliban strongholds but they were completely destroyed as forces took the city.
Dec. 9, 2001: Taliban surrendered
After the fall of Kandahar, the Taliban surrendered control of Afghanistan when they fled Kandahar. Afterward, militant groups of Taliban fighters would employ improvised explosive devices and roadside bombs as a way to kill troops who had more firepower. There was still no sign of Osama bin Laden.
Dec. 16, 2001: Bin Laden escaped to Pakistan
It is believed bin Laden escaped to Pakistan three months after the terrorist attacks. He went over the border near Tora Bora when military forces couldn't proceed because they didn't have the tactical advantage. In later hearings before Congress, it was determined the U.S. military chose to rely on local forces instead of their own troops. It wasn't until their post-battle analysis that the United States realized they almost had public enemy number one in Afghanistan.
March 2002: Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda was implemented in early March to root out remaining Taliban insurgents. The operation would last a week in an effort to completely undermine the scattered forces.
May 1, 2003: Major operations ended
The transition government, led by Hamid Karzai, announced with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that the major war campaign was over. Unfortunately, one major objective was incomplete--the capture of bin Laden. He was finally killed in Pakistan, the country to which the leader fled after the fighting started in Afghanistan.
William Browning is a research librarian.
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