Twentieth Anniversary of the Afghan Campaign of the War on Terrorism

The campaign in Afghanistan began on this date twenty years ago, as the first military strike-back by the United States in the Global War on Terrorism after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania by Islamist al Qaeda terrorists that killed nearly 3,000 people, the bloodiest in history. Al-Qaeda was based in Afghanistan, where they were harbored by the Taliban militia that controlled most of the central Asian State. The U.S. and an international coalition of allies, including the American-recognized Afghan government that controlled the northeast of Afghanistan, overthrew the Taliban by early 2002, thereby denying a haven for al-Qaeda to plot and train more terrorist attacks, as they had been against Americans and others since 1996. There have been additional campaigns around the world against al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorists, including some that are ongoing. The terrorist organization’s founder was killed and other key leaders were captured or killed, but the terrorist group has remained active throughout the Islamic world, as has its offshoot, the Islamic State. October 7 is also the anniversary of the victory in 1571 at Lepanto by the Holy League, the Christian European coalition organized by Pope Paul V, over the Islamist forces of the Ottoman Turks who were sailing to attempt to conquer Rome. The U.S. and its NATO allies withdrew from Afghanistan by the end of August of this year, leaving the Taliban, with al-Qaeda’s help, to return to power and allow terrorists again to enjoy safe harbor. It is vital that the Americans and their allies do not allow Afghanistan again to be a source of terrorism that threatens the world. Although U.S. and allied troops are no longer present in Afghanistan and Afghan allies have been abandoned, thus ending the Afghan campaign, it will be necessary to strike terrorists in Afghanistan again, at least by drone or missile strikes, as the Afghan theater in the War on Terrorism will simply have reached a new phase.