Understanding the conflict

Explore: Use the timeline below to learn about significant events during the War in Afghanistan.

For an even more in-depth timeline, visit the Royal Military College of Canada LAV III Monument page here. The RMC LAV III monument commemorates Canada’s service in Afghanistan and the RMC Class of 1980 has created their own digital exhibition to help tell the story of the campaign.

Afghanistan is a landlocked country approximately the size of Saskatchewan, in Southwest Asia between Iran and Pakistan. It has a population of approximately 44.5 million, made up of numerous ethnolinguistic groups. The largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns, are further divided into “tribes” with distinct dialects and governing bodies.

Afghanistan became a country in 1747, although civilizations have inhabited the territory since 3000 B.C.E. In more recent times, empires have fought over the strategically located mountainous area between Asia and Europe. Prior to the Arab invasions and the spread of Islam, Zoroastrians, Macedonians, Buddhists and Hindus lived there. Today their descendants make up the diverse groups of people all living in Afghanistan: the Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Turkmen, Aimak and Baloch, among others.

A photo of the landscape in Watapur district, Kunar province. Kunar province was one of the areas with the largest presence of insurgent and NATO troops. Photo taken on January 11, 2012 *(Trey Harvery/US. Armed Forces).*

The Badel Valley in Kunar province was one of the areas affected by the war. In January 2012, 40 local police officers were trained to strengthen security in the area. Photo taken on January 18, 2012, from the police station *(Amber Leach/US. Armed Forces).*

The Kunar River in Nangarhar province is one of the largest rivers in Afghanistan. Photo taken on December 17, 2009 *(Teddy Wade/U.S. Armed Forces)*.

In the 19th century, the British and Russian empires wrestled to expand their territories and fought over Afghanistan, nicknaming it the “Great Game”. During the 20th century, Afghanistan experienced political instability and in-fighting until the violent military coup of 1978. The Soviet Union became an economic partner with Afghanistan, helping to build roads, hospitals and schools and to train the Afghan army. At this time, the Afghan government violently punished and murdered those who opposed them.

In 1979 the people, united by Islam and their opposition to liberal policies and Soviet dependence, revolted against the government. 100,000 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan on December 24, 1979 and the United States responded by giving money and arms to the Mujahideen, Islamic guerrilla fighters, to fight the Soviet Union’s invasion. This was during the Cold War and the United States did not want the Soviet Union to control this strategically-located territory. Over half a million people were killed by Soviet fighters and over 4 million Afghan refugees fled to Iran and Pakistan.

Mujahideen soldiers have a consultation in the mountains of Kunar province, 1987(Erwin Franzen).

Soviet soldiers during a combat mission in Wardak province, 1987 *(E. Kuvakin)*.

During the Soviet-Afghan war (1979-1989) a number of foreign Muslim fighters came to fight alongside the Afghans. Amongst them was Osama bin Laden, a rich Saudi Arabian. Osama bin Laden believed in strict Islamic law and was against any foreign influence in Muslim affairs. After fighting alongside and helping finance the Mujahideen, bin Laden and 15 other Islamic extremists formed Al Qaeda in 1988 to fight a holy war (jihad) against foreign powers trying to occupy or influence the Muslim world. Al Qaeda was mostly comprised of Arab, non-Afghan fighters who came to train in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghan fighters enter a village recently destroyed by Russian troops *(US National Archives)*.

Last Soviet troops crossing the Soviet-Afghan border after leaving Afghanistan in 1989 *(RIA Novosti Archive).*

When the war was over and the Soviets left, the country descended into civil war as several victorious warlords fought for territory and power. It was a time of lawlessness, crime and atrocities, with all sides targeting civilians. In 1994, the Taliban, an Islamic militant group, stepped into the mix. They promised stability and an end to lawlessness and quickly grew in strength. Funded by Pakistan and by bin Laden, they gained control of most of the country by 1996 and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban revealed itself to be an oppressive and violent regime. Public executions and punishments became common. Massacres were committed against non-Sunni Muslims. The education of women and girls was illegal and women had to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, with a burka. Most of the country lived without electricity or paved roads. The Taliban also broke ties with foreign aid organizations and civilians suffered from famine, poverty and lack of access to medical care.

While the Taliban was focused on internal affairs in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda grew into an infamous international terrorist organization, executing attacks on western interests in places such as Yemen, Kenya and, in 2001, the United States. The Taliban maintained a friendly relationship with Al Qaeda and welcomed the establishment of their headquarters in Afghanistan.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, two airplanes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and a fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers overcame the hijackers. Exactly 2,997 people died and over 6,000 more suffered injuries. The dead ranged in age from 2 to 85 and included hundreds of first responders: police officers, firefighters and paramedics. It took over three months to extinguish the flames at the site where the Twin Towers stood in New York City. Many died of cancer-related causes and respiratory disease afterwards. It was the largest act of terror on North American soil.

The World Trade Center in flames after the first attack on the South Tower (*Robert J. Fisch*)

A panoramic photo of New York City showing rising smoke from the World Trade Center *(Michael Foran*).

On the evening of September 11, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush addresses the American nation to provide an update on the attacks (United States National Archives).

Mere days after the September 11th attacks, it was clear that al-Qaeda, under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, had orchestrated the attacks from their base in Afghanistan. On October 7, 2001, the United States and its allies launched the first attacks in Afghanistan. Their immediate objective was to dismantle the al-Qaeda network, and to deny it a safe base of operations by removing the Taliban from power.

On October 7, 2001 an American ship launched a Tomahawk on Afghan positions. This attack constitutes the first official response of the United States after the September 11 attacks *(Terry Cosgrove/ united States Navy).*

Think: Examine the article headlines from e-news articles after the attacks on September 11, 2001. What do they tell us about how news outlets reported the events?

Reaction in Canada

The events of 9/11 were felt around the world, including in Canada. Canadians watched the news in horror as the day unfolded. Schools and workplaces shut down as Canadians worried about their own safety and what might happen next. At 11:06 am Canadian airspace shut down. Airplanes going to the United States were also diverted and grounded in Canada, leaving over 33,000 passengers stranded. This became known as Operation Yellow Ribbon. In the days following, Canadians all over the country rallied together to support the grounded air passengers.

Of the over 200 aircraft diverted to Canada, 38 landed at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland. The town of 10,000 people helped care for around 6500 stranded passengers and crew *(103 Squadron SAR Gander)*.

The Canadian government also declared September 14th as a National Day of Mourning, where approximately 100,000 Canadians came Parliament Hill to commemorate the 24 Canadian victims of the terrorist attacks.

Did you know?

The 2001 terrorist attacks significantly changed the way the United States and Canada thought about potential threats in North America. Before the attacks, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) primarily focused on defending against threats that originated from external sources. After September 11th, NORAD created Operation Noble Eagle, which focuses on defending against threats occurring within North America, including civilian aircraft being used as a weapon.

The day after the September 11th terrorist attacks, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien called the US president, George Bush, and pledged Canada’s support to the United States. Canada has been a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since its founding in 1949. NATO forces deployed in Afghanistan as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2003, and Canada was one of the strongest contributors to that mission up until its end in 2014.

But what is NATO? The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded on April 4, 1949 at the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty by 12 nations. Initially formed due to fear of a Soviet attack on western Europe, today it is a military alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe with the goal of protecting each other through military intervention if one of its member states is attacked. NATO promotes diplomacy and peaceful resolutions to disputes first, however. If this fails, NATO has the capacity to deploy military operations alone or with cooperating nations and international organizations.

Canadian, American, Turkish, Romanian and Croatian NATO coalition troops pose together at Camp Blackhorse in Kabul, Sept. 27, 2013 *(DND-MDN Canada).*

The organization promotes the ideals of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. There are three main objectives of the NATO alliance: collective defense, crisis management and cooperative security. All of the member countries have militaries except for Iceland. Three member states have nuclear weapons: The United States, The United Kingdom, and France.

Discover: Explore the following map to learn more about the countries in NATO.

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO used article 5 for the first time since its creation in 1949, which allows member countries to act in self-defence if they are attacked. NATO countries thus declared war on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The War in Afghanistan was thus an example of strong ally cooperation and international coordination.