The Gulf Wars & Afghanistan: Terror Strikes Home

Iraq and Afghanistan are two focal points in a broad arch of instability that runs across the Middle East and Central Asia. In Battle History of the United States Marine Corps: The Gulf Wars and Afghanistan, we examine the role played by the USMC in the last three wars to convulse the region—the First and Second Gulf Wars and the war in Afghanistan. The latter two have been the longest-fought confl icts in American military history.

TERROR STRIKES HOME Following the attack by al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the US government declared a “Global War On Terrorism” and demanded that the Taliban government in Afghanistan hand over the leadership of al-Qaeda. When they refused, the US and its NATO allies launched Operation Enduring Freedom.

Marines were deployed in Afghanistan in a wide variety of combat roles and figured prominently in the “surge” of US ground troops that occurred in 2009–2010. Now into its 10th year, the war in Afghanistan represents the longest war ever fought by US military forces. Operations in Afghanistan are ongoing, with Marine responsibilities ranging from combat and security operations to humanitarian efforts.

EPISODES

1. FATWA The rise of Osama bin Laden, from his early days in Afghanistan to his declaration of war against the United States and his subsequent death in May 2011.
2. CALL TO ACTION The attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center precipitates a US-led, global war on terror and against al-Qaeda.
3. SHADOW WAR Within weeks of the attack on the World Trade Center, US Special Forces are on the ground in Afghanistan. Within 49 days, these warriors will drive the Taliban from power.
4. AXIS OF EVIL The global war on terrorism expands beyond Afghanistan as the Bush administration identifies an axis of evil represented by Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. The global war on terror is about to enter its next phase.
5. SEAL TEAM 6 AND DEATH OF BIN LADEN On May 2, 2011, bin Laden was killed at his private compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by US Navy SEALs in a covert operation ordered by President Obama. Shortly after his death, bin Laden’s body was buried at sea.