War on Terror

The War on Terror

The War on Terror (or War on Terrorism) refers to the campaign waged by the United States of America and a coalition of willing allies with the stated goal of ending international terrorism, which is typically understood to refer particularly to radical Islamist terrorism. The war was launched in response to the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks on the United States.

Congressional action

In March 2007, a memo sent to Democratic staffers on the House Armed Services Committee instructed Congressional aides not to use the specific phrases, "global war on terrorism" and "long war" in Defense authorization requests for the fiscal 2008 budget. The memo reads,

"When referencing military operations throughout the world, please be as specific as possible. Please avoid using colloquialisms such as, "the war on terrorism", or the "Long War" Please do not use the term "global war on terrorism"

Campaigns

Afghanistan

In immediate response to the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban and deny al-Qaeda a base of operations.

Iraq War

The Iraq War, also known as the Second Persian Gulf War, began in March 2003 when the United States and a "coalition of the willing" invaded Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime. Research using robust surveying techniques has estimated that over 650,000 Iraqis have died since the fall of the Ba'athist regime.

References

Second Lebanon War

The Second Lebanon War was fought between Israel and Hezbollah, primarily in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, in the summer of 2006.

Waziristan War

The Waziristan War (2004-2006) was fought between Pakistan and al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and sympathetic tribal militias in the Waziristan province of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan.