War in Afghanistan: Timeline
September 11, 2001: Al Qaeda Attacks US: Afghani terrorist group, Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, hijacked four American planes and crashed them into the World Trade Centers in New York City, into the Pentagon in Virginia, and crashed one in a Pennsylvania field.
October 7, 2001: United States and Britain Bomb Afghanistan: In an attempt to destroy Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist training camps, U.S. and Britain begin launching missiles and long-range bombers against Afghanistan
December 7, 2001: Taliban Abandon Kandahar: Taliban forces abandon their last stronghold in Kandahar. The leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, escaped, evading capture.
December 22, 2001: Karzai Sworn In: Afghan tribal leader, Hamid Karzai, is sworn in as chairman of an interim government that replaces the Taliban rule.
March 2002: Operation Anaconda: In the first large-scale battle since late 2001, American troops move into the Shah-i-Kot Valley in an attempt to uncover the Taliban/Al Qaeda hideouts.
June 13, 2002: Karzai Elected as Interim Head of State: Karzai is elected as the Head of State by the Grand Council. He is given a mandate to lead the transitional administration until the 2004 elections.
May 1, 2003: Rumsfeld claims “Major Combat” Has Ended: United States claims all major combat operations in Afghanistan are over. They encourage many other countries to help in the reconstruction of the country.
August 11, 2003: NATO Takes Control of Kabul Peace Force: NATO controls Afghanistan’s multinational peacekeeping force in its first mission outside of Europe’s borders.
January 4, 2004: New Constitution: After weeks of intense debate, a new, more democratic, constitution is approved for Afghanistan.
October 9, 2004: First Democratic Election: Hamid Karzai becomes President of Afghanistan after the country’s first elected vote. Voter turnout is high, despite high threats of violence.
October 29, 2004: Bin Laden Threatens West in Televised Message: Osama Bin Laden takes officially takes credit for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and threatens the Bush Administration. To the American people, he says “O, American people, I am speaking to tell you about the ideal way to avoid another Manhattan, about war and its causes and results.”
May 23, 2005: Karzai and Bush Announce Military Agreement: The Presidents sign an agreement to give the American forces access to the Bagram Air Bases and freedom to conduct operations.
September 18, 2005: Local Elections Held: Despite threats of Taliban violence, millions of Afghans turn out for the country’s first free vote in more than twenty years. Many see this as a formal step toward Afghanistan’s transition to a democratic government, free from the Taliban.
September 2008: Troop and Civilian Deaths Climb: Since October 2001, this month was the deadliest year for troops in Afghanistan. More than 200 are killed, from the U.S., NATO, and Afghan civilians.
February 17, 2009: Obama Takes Control: American President Barack Obama announces his plans to send more than 17,000 troops to Afghanistan.
March 27, 2009: Obama Announces New Strategy: President Obama, after recognizing the “increasingly perilous” situation, announces a new strategy which includes training more than 4,000 more troops.
May 11, 2009: McChrystal Is Names New U.S. Commander: American commander in Afghanistan is forced out, replaced by Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, in an attempt to bring amore aggressive approach to the war.
December 1, 2009: Obama Orders Troop Surge: President Obama announces his plan to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in coming months. He also promises to begin bringing troops home by the middle of 2011.
February, 2010: Major NATO-Led Offensive in Helmand: More than 4,500 NATO troops are taking part in the operation intended to counter the Taliban insurgency.
June 23, 2010: McChrystal is Fired: Obama fires the top commander, replacing him with General David H. Petraeus. This showed a clear signal that the current war strategy of countersurgency tactics will continue despite public doubts.
September 18, 2010: Afghanistan Holds Elections: Far from being democratic, there are accusations of ballot stuffing and vote suppression less than a day after the elections.
June 22, 2011: President Obama Orders Troop Reductions: President Obama annoU.N.ces his plans to withdraw more than 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. The rest of the 20,000 troops, he says, will be withdrawn by summer 2012.
War in Iraq: Timeline
October 11, 2002: Force Authorized: The Senate passed the request to invade Iraq with 77 for invasion, 23 against. The House of Representatives also approved, its vote 296-133.
November 8, 2002: U.N. Ultimatum: U.N. tells Iraq to either cooperate with their weapons inspectors or they will find themselves with no Allies.
January 28, 2003: Bush’s “Imminent Threat” Speech: Bush tells the American citizens that they have no choice but to invade Iraq, given the imminent threat the country is to the rest of the world.
February 5, 2003: Colin Powell at U.N.: Colin Powel tells the Security Council that the U.S. has evidence of WMD in Iraq.
March 20, 2003: U.S. Forces Enter Iraq: U.S. and British troops invade at Baghdad where bombs and missiles hit the heart of President Saddam Hussein’s power.
April 9, 2003: Baghdad Falls: U.S. troops end Hussein’s 24 year rein in Iraq by toppling a four story statue of the president.
May 1, 2003: “Mission Accomplished”: President Bush tells the U.S. that our efforts in the war have “turned the tide” again terrorism.
July 22, 2003: Saddam Hussein’s Sons Killed: Uday and Qusai Hussein are killed in a firefight at their home in Mosul. The sons shared their father’s love for violence and brutal exercise of power.
August 19, 2003: U.N. Headquarters Bombed: The attack on the U.N.’s headquarters is called a “terrorist criminal attack.”
December 13, 2003: Hussein Captured: American troops find Hussein in a dirt hold near his hometown. They captured the dictator without a shot, after more than eight months of searching for him.
June 28, 2004: Iraqis Take Power: Prime Minister Iyad Allawi takes power over the government from the U.S.
November 8, 2004: Second Battle of Fallouja: Ten thousand American and one thousand Iraqi soldiers fight the second Battle of Fallouja. The battle lasts 46 days and is the heaviest fighting for the U.S. military since Vietnam.
January 12, 2005: No WMD in Iraq: After searching for more than two years, the White House is forced to admit there are no weapons in Iraq as Bush claimed before going to war.
January 30, 2005: Iraqis Vote: The country casts ballots in the nation’s first multiparty elections in more than fifty years.
July 17, 2005: Hussein Charged: An Iraqi tribunal court tried the ex-dictator in a trial for the 1982 murder of more than 150 villagers.
October 19, 2005: Hussein Pleads Not Guilty: Stubborn as always, Hussein and his seven former aides plead not guilty, challenging the legitimacy of the court.
December 15, 2005: Election in Iraq: Iraq’s most competitive election in decades takes place with a U.S. backed exercise that promises to produce the first full-term government since Hussein.
February 22, 2006: Shrine Attack: An explosion in Samarra at the Golden Mosque, the most sacred Shiite shrines, marks the beginning of Shiite and Sunni Muslim fighting, increasing fears of a civil war.
June 7, 2006: Zarqawi Killed: Al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab Zarqawi, is killed by U.S. airstrike. He was blamed for countless suicide bombings and beheadings.
November 8, 2006: Rumsfield Resigns: U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfield resigns. President Bush’s response was that the United States needed a new Defense Secretary anyways.
November 23, 2006: Deadly Car Bombings: In the deadliest attack since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Baghdad, a series of suicide car bombings kills more than 152 people, wounding an additional 236.
December 30, 2006: Hussein Executed: A defiant Saddam Hussein is hanged at dawn in his very own death chamber.
January 10, 2007: Troop Surge: President Bush announces that his war plan was not working and announces his new strategy that includes adding more than 20,000 troops.
April 11, 2007: Tours Extended: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announces a 12 to 17 month extension of all Army troops.
December 4, 2008: Withdrawal Date Set: The United States agrees to take all troops out of Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and from the country by December 31, 2011.
January 1, 2009: U.S. Hands Over the Green Zone: The U.S. hands over military control of a Green Zone to Iraqi troops, the first step towards troop withdrawal.
February 27, 2009: August Pull-Out Planned: President Obama tells the marines that most of the 142,000 troops currently in Iraq will be pulled out by the end of August 2010.
April 30, 2009: British Leave: After six years of fighting, British troops being to withdraw due to the cost of the mission and it’s unpopularity at home.
January 25, 2010: ‘Chemical Ali’ Hangs: Ali Hassan Majid, one of Suddam’s most well known figures, is hanged.
August 19, 2010: Combat Troops Leave: Last of the U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq. Many think the move could turn violence and the Iraqis are apprehensive.
August 31, 2010: Official End of Contact: U.S. mission in Iraq officially ends.
December 1, 2011: Last Troops Leave: The last U.S. troops pass a fortified border.
September 11, 2001: Al Qaeda Attacks US: Afghani terrorist group, Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, hijacked four American planes and crashed them into the World Trade Centers in New York City, into the Pentagon in Virginia, and crashed one in a Pennsylvania field.
October 7, 2001: United States and Britain Bomb Afghanistan: In an attempt to destroy Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist training camps, U.S. and Britain begin launching missiles and long-range bombers against Afghanistan
December 7, 2001: Taliban Abandon Kandahar: Taliban forces abandon their last stronghold in Kandahar. The leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, escaped, evading capture.
December 22, 2001: Karzai Sworn In: Afghan tribal leader, Hamid Karzai, is sworn in as chairman of an interim government that replaces the Taliban rule.
March 2002: Operation Anaconda: In the first large-scale battle since late 2001, American troops move into the Shah-i-Kot Valley in an attempt to uncover the Taliban/Al Qaeda hideouts.
June 13, 2002: Karzai Elected as Interim Head of State: Karzai is elected as the Head of State by the Grand Council. He is given a mandate to lead the transitional administration until the 2004 elections.
May 1, 2003: Rumsfeld claims “Major Combat” Has Ended: United States claims all major combat operations in Afghanistan are over. They encourage many other countries to help in the reconstruction of the country.
August 11, 2003: NATO Takes Control of Kabul Peace Force: NATO controls Afghanistan’s multinational peacekeeping force in its first mission outside of Europe’s borders.
January 4, 2004: New Constitution: After weeks of intense debate, a new, more democratic, constitution is approved for Afghanistan.
October 9, 2004: First Democratic Election: Hamid Karzai becomes President of Afghanistan after the country’s first elected vote. Voter turnout is high, despite high threats of violence.
October 29, 2004: Bin Laden Threatens West in Televised Message: Osama Bin Laden takes officially takes credit for the 9/11 terrorist attacks and threatens the Bush Administration. To the American people, he says “O, American people, I am speaking to tell you about the ideal way to avoid another Manhattan, about war and its causes and results.”
May 23, 2005: Karzai and Bush Announce Military Agreement: The Presidents sign an agreement to give the American forces access to the Bagram Air Bases and freedom to conduct operations.
September 18, 2005: Local Elections Held: Despite threats of Taliban violence, millions of Afghans turn out for the country’s first free vote in more than twenty years. Many see this as a formal step toward Afghanistan’s transition to a democratic government, free from the Taliban.
September 2008: Troop and Civilian Deaths Climb: Since October 2001, this month was the deadliest year for troops in Afghanistan. More than 200 are killed, from the U.S., NATO, and Afghan civilians.
February 17, 2009: Obama Takes Control: American President Barack Obama announces his plans to send more than 17,000 troops to Afghanistan.
March 27, 2009: Obama Announces New Strategy: President Obama, after recognizing the “increasingly perilous” situation, announces a new strategy which includes training more than 4,000 more troops.
May 11, 2009: McChrystal Is Names New U.S. Commander: American commander in Afghanistan is forced out, replaced by Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, in an attempt to bring amore aggressive approach to the war.
December 1, 2009: Obama Orders Troop Surge: President Obama announces his plan to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in coming months. He also promises to begin bringing troops home by the middle of 2011.
February, 2010: Major NATO-Led Offensive in Helmand: More than 4,500 NATO troops are taking part in the operation intended to counter the Taliban insurgency.
June 23, 2010: McChrystal is Fired: Obama fires the top commander, replacing him with General David H. Petraeus. This showed a clear signal that the current war strategy of countersurgency tactics will continue despite public doubts.
September 18, 2010: Afghanistan Holds Elections: Far from being democratic, there are accusations of ballot stuffing and vote suppression less than a day after the elections.
June 22, 2011: President Obama Orders Troop Reductions: President Obama annoU.N.ces his plans to withdraw more than 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. The rest of the 20,000 troops, he says, will be withdrawn by summer 2012.
War in Iraq: Timeline
October 11, 2002: Force Authorized: The Senate passed the request to invade Iraq with 77 for invasion, 23 against. The House of Representatives also approved, its vote 296-133.
November 8, 2002: U.N. Ultimatum: U.N. tells Iraq to either cooperate with their weapons inspectors or they will find themselves with no Allies.
January 28, 2003: Bush’s “Imminent Threat” Speech: Bush tells the American citizens that they have no choice but to invade Iraq, given the imminent threat the country is to the rest of the world.
February 5, 2003: Colin Powell at U.N.: Colin Powel tells the Security Council that the U.S. has evidence of WMD in Iraq.
March 20, 2003: U.S. Forces Enter Iraq: U.S. and British troops invade at Baghdad where bombs and missiles hit the heart of President Saddam Hussein’s power.
April 9, 2003: Baghdad Falls: U.S. troops end Hussein’s 24 year rein in Iraq by toppling a four story statue of the president.
May 1, 2003: “Mission Accomplished”: President Bush tells the U.S. that our efforts in the war have “turned the tide” again terrorism.
July 22, 2003: Saddam Hussein’s Sons Killed: Uday and Qusai Hussein are killed in a firefight at their home in Mosul. The sons shared their father’s love for violence and brutal exercise of power.
August 19, 2003: U.N. Headquarters Bombed: The attack on the U.N.’s headquarters is called a “terrorist criminal attack.”
December 13, 2003: Hussein Captured: American troops find Hussein in a dirt hold near his hometown. They captured the dictator without a shot, after more than eight months of searching for him.
June 28, 2004: Iraqis Take Power: Prime Minister Iyad Allawi takes power over the government from the U.S.
November 8, 2004: Second Battle of Fallouja: Ten thousand American and one thousand Iraqi soldiers fight the second Battle of Fallouja. The battle lasts 46 days and is the heaviest fighting for the U.S. military since Vietnam.
January 12, 2005: No WMD in Iraq: After searching for more than two years, the White House is forced to admit there are no weapons in Iraq as Bush claimed before going to war.
January 30, 2005: Iraqis Vote: The country casts ballots in the nation’s first multiparty elections in more than fifty years.
July 17, 2005: Hussein Charged: An Iraqi tribunal court tried the ex-dictator in a trial for the 1982 murder of more than 150 villagers.
October 19, 2005: Hussein Pleads Not Guilty: Stubborn as always, Hussein and his seven former aides plead not guilty, challenging the legitimacy of the court.
December 15, 2005: Election in Iraq: Iraq’s most competitive election in decades takes place with a U.S. backed exercise that promises to produce the first full-term government since Hussein.
February 22, 2006: Shrine Attack: An explosion in Samarra at the Golden Mosque, the most sacred Shiite shrines, marks the beginning of Shiite and Sunni Muslim fighting, increasing fears of a civil war.
June 7, 2006: Zarqawi Killed: Al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab Zarqawi, is killed by U.S. airstrike. He was blamed for countless suicide bombings and beheadings.
November 8, 2006: Rumsfield Resigns: U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfield resigns. President Bush’s response was that the United States needed a new Defense Secretary anyways.
November 23, 2006: Deadly Car Bombings: In the deadliest attack since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Baghdad, a series of suicide car bombings kills more than 152 people, wounding an additional 236.
December 30, 2006: Hussein Executed: A defiant Saddam Hussein is hanged at dawn in his very own death chamber.
January 10, 2007: Troop Surge: President Bush announces that his war plan was not working and announces his new strategy that includes adding more than 20,000 troops.
April 11, 2007: Tours Extended: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announces a 12 to 17 month extension of all Army troops.
December 4, 2008: Withdrawal Date Set: The United States agrees to take all troops out of Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and from the country by December 31, 2011.
January 1, 2009: U.S. Hands Over the Green Zone: The U.S. hands over military control of a Green Zone to Iraqi troops, the first step towards troop withdrawal.
February 27, 2009: August Pull-Out Planned: President Obama tells the marines that most of the 142,000 troops currently in Iraq will be pulled out by the end of August 2010.
April 30, 2009: British Leave: After six years of fighting, British troops being to withdraw due to the cost of the mission and it’s unpopularity at home.
January 25, 2010: ‘Chemical Ali’ Hangs: Ali Hassan Majid, one of Suddam’s most well known figures, is hanged.
August 19, 2010: Combat Troops Leave: Last of the U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq. Many think the move could turn violence and the Iraqis are apprehensive.
August 31, 2010: Official End of Contact: U.S. mission in Iraq officially ends.
December 1, 2011: Last Troops Leave: The last U.S. troops pass a fortified border.