Afghanistan/2001 invasion
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The United States invaded Afghanistan in October, 2001, largely in retaliation for the attacks of September 11 the same year. Although the invasion was executed at the command of President George W. Bush, it was actually planned during Bill Clinton's presidency.
Links
- Afghanistan: brief summary of the invasion, by David Brin
Notes
I remember hearing in 1999 or 2000 about the Taliban blowing up the 900-year-old statue of Buddha, the largest such statue in the world, because it somehow offended their sensibilities; I remember saying to myself "those guys are trouble, and something needs to be done about it". So when we invaded Afghanistan in response to 9/11, I saw it as probably a good thing over all; non-violence did not seem to be an option. The only caveat was: what was the connection? Afghanistan condemned the 9/11 attacks. (I remember hearing this with great relief.) Instead of invading them, why didn't we enter into a cooperative arrangement to help them with their terrorist problem? Was this idea even discussed? Sure, the opposition leader (Ahmad Shah Massoud) had been assassinated, but did the Taliban actually claim they harbored no terrorists? I don't remember hearing anything about that. --Woozle 20:49, 3 September 2006 (EDT)