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→U.S. involvement
==U.S. involvement==
==U.S. involvement==
The militaries of the United States and its NATO allies, in concert with a coalition of northern Afghan tribes known as the Northern Alliance, quickly overthrew the Taliban government controlling the country from its historic capital of Kandahar. While the Taliban government was quick to fold, large amounts of fighters remained with the local population and subsequently engaged in a prolonged guerilla campaign against Coalition Forces. However, high-profile operations in the country's eastern White Mountains (Battle of Tora Bora) and Shahikhot Valley (Operation Anaconda) to capture or kill bin Laden and other high-value al Qaida targets were a failure.
In 2001, the CIA's Special Activities Division units were the first U.S. forces to enter Afghanistan. Their efforts organized the Afghan Northern Alliance for the subsequent arrival of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) (United States Special Operations Command) forces. The plan for the invasion of Afghanistan was developed by the CIA, the first time in United States history that such a large-scale military operation was planned by the CIA.<ref name="channel.nationalgeographic.com">{{cite web|url=http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/cia-confidential/4199/Overview |title=CIA Confidential , Hunt for Bin Laden , National Geographic Channel |publisher=Channel.nationalgeographic.com |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref> SAD, U.S. Army Special Forces and the Northern Alliance combined to overthrow the [[Taliban]] in Afghanistan with minimal loss of U.S. lives. They did this without the need for U.S. military conventional ground forces.<ref>{{cite book |title=First In: An insiders account of how the CIA spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan |first=Gary |last=Schroen |year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A personal account by the CIA's field Commander |first=Gary |last=Berntsen |coauthors=Ralph Pezzulla |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-307-23740-8 |year=2005}}</ref><ref>Woodward, Bob (2002) "Bush at War", Simon & Schuster, Inc.</ref>
In 2001, the CIA's Special Activities Division units were the first U.S. forces to enter Afghanistan. Their efforts organized the Afghan Northern Alliance for the subsequent arrival of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) (United States Special Operations Command) forces. The plan for the invasion of Afghanistan was developed by the CIA, the first time in United States history that such a large-scale military operation was planned by the CIA.<ref name="channel.nationalgeographic.com">{{cite web|url=http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/cia-confidential/4199/Overview |title=CIA Confidential , Hunt for Bin Laden , National Geographic Channel |publisher=Channel.nationalgeographic.com |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref> SAD, U.S. Army Special Forces and the Northern Alliance combined to overthrow the [[Taliban]] in Afghanistan with minimal loss of U.S. lives. They did this without the need for U.S. military conventional ground forces.<ref>{{cite book |title=First In: An insiders account of how the CIA spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan |first=Gary |last=Schroen |year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A personal account by the CIA's field Commander |first=Gary |last=Berntsen |coauthors=Ralph Pezzulla |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-307-23740-8 |year=2005}}</ref><ref>Woodward, Bob (2002) "Bush at War", Simon & Schuster, Inc.</ref>
:"What made the Afghan campaign a landmark in the U.S. Military's history is that it was prosecuted by Special Operations forces from all the services, along with Navy and Air Force tactical power, operations by the Afghan Northern Alliance and the CIA were equally important and fully integrated. No large Army or Marine force was employed".<ref>Washington Post Editorial, John Lehman former Secretary of the Navy, October 2008</ref>
:"What made the Afghan campaign a landmark in the U.S. Military's history is that it was prosecuted by Special Operations forces from all the services, along with Navy and Air Force tactical power, operations by the Afghan Northern Alliance and the CIA were equally important and fully integrated. No large Army or Marine force was employed".<ref>Washington Post Editorial, John Lehman former Secretary of the Navy, October 2008</ref>
Seven years after the overthrow of the [[Taliban]], [[America]] and [[NATO]] forces wre still fighting Taliban forces in parts of the country, especially in the south.<ref>[http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=October&x=20061025171329MVyelwarC0.6853144 U.S. Department of State, Vince Crawley, October 25, 2006, "NATO's Jones Urges Focus on Afghan Reconstruction, Rule of Law"] <sub>''"On July 31, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) took control of Afghanistan’s volatile southern provinces, part of a larger plan for NATO to provide security for the entire country. The handover was accompanied by an upsurge of violence against international forces."''</sub></ref> There is no sign that Western troops will be withdrawing from Afghanistan in the foreseeable future. Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, commander of the United States coalition forces stated his commitment to accomplishing the mission, saying,
{{Cquote|The United States will not leave Afghanistan until the Afghan people tell us the job is done. The war on terrorism began here in Afghanistan and it continues today. We must never forget that.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/world/asia/01afghan.html New York Times, CARLOTTA GALL, August 1, 2006, "U.S. Hands Southern Afghan Command to NATO"]</ref>}}
In a 2008 ''[[New York Times]]'' book review of ''Horse Soldiers'', a book by Doug Stanton about the invasion of Afghanistan, Bruce Barcott wrote:
In a 2008 ''[[New York Times]]'' book review of ''Horse Soldiers'', a book by Doug Stanton about the invasion of Afghanistan, Bruce Barcott wrote: