Please Note that the invasion of Afghanistan was undertaken by an INTERNATIONAL force lead by the Americans.
The invasion was ordered/sanctioned by the UNITED NATIONS (after a vote) because it was clear that the Taliban who were the government in Afghanistan were sheltering and supporting Al-Qaeda. The Al-Qaeda training camps and headquarters were in Afghanistan and so was Osama bin Laden.
After the Al-Qaeda atrocity on the US on 9/11 the organization and training camps had to be removed and as the Taliban would not do this, they needed to be removed and the people of Afghanistan given the opportunity to set out on the path of democratic self government.
Answer 3
The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in order to remove al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization that attacked the United States on September 11th, as well as overthrowing the Taliban government that had protected them and given them a wide berth to train. Mission creep led to the invasion also having a nation-building character to it, although that was not a reason for the invasion.
As for the wars against the Russians in the previous answers, the United States assisted the Mujahedin in Afghanistan in the 1980s (including al-Qaeda) in resisting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. However, as there were no US boots on the ground, it cannot properly be considered a US invasion.
Answer_4:">Answer 4:Answer 2 is factually incorrect. The groups of militants who fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan were collectively known as mujahadeen. The person giving that answer actually used Al-Qaeda when they should have said Taliban.. even then, their answer will still be incorrect. The Taliban was formed after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan - not to fight the Soviets, but to remove from power the mujahadeen warlords who gained control of the country after the Soviet withdrawal and subsequent collapse of the Afghan government. Answer_5:(Hints_on_Answer_4_above)">Answer 5:(Hints on Answer 4 above)According to a joint report by the Pentagon, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and USAID, Afghanistan is now said to possess "previously unknown" and untapped mineral reserves, estimated authoritatively to be of the order of one trillion dollars. "The previously unknown deposits - including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium - are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.
An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium," a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.
Refer to related links below and the related questions below addressing whether or not al-Qaeda is responsible for September 11th and whether or not the US is likely to be withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Bush's revenge due to the attacks on the World Trade Center Towers, AKA "The Twin Towers" in New York City on September 11, based on suspicions that Bin Laden was in Afghanistan at the time.
the taliban refused to turn over bin laden after sep. 11, 2001
The Taliban harbored and encouraged the Islamic Extremist group Al-Qaeda that was responsible for the attacks of September 11th.
because they caused 9/11
Afghanistan and later Iraq.
They didn't - they were a faction of Afgan rebel fighters already there.
Afghanistan
Aid in the overthrow of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
Global War on Terrorism: Operation Enduring Freedom launched in 2001.
2001
to invade Afghanistan and topple the taliban government.
to invade afghanistan and topple the taliban government.
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001!
September 6, 1998
To target osama bin laden
US never been in Afghanistan but US troops were about 10 years
The US invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to wage war on terrorism, as Afghanistan is a hub for terrorists. The US is not at war with Afghanistan, but is working with the country to fight terrorism and keep Afghanistan out of terrorist hands. The same ideology was behind the Iraqi War.
The war in Afghanistan seems to have been going on for the longest time. US soldiers were first sent into Afghanistan after the Russian pulled out of Afghanistan. The first US soldiers entered Afghanistan in 2001.
Afghanistan and later Iraq.
they went to Afghanistan in 2001
they invaded Afghanistan in 1979