OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM BEGINS IN AFGHANISTAN

Operation Enduring Freedom begins in Afghanistan

Less than a year after USS Cole, the attacks of September 11th, 2001 brought the war on terror fully into view. On October 7th, 2001, the United States and partners launched Operation Enduring Freedom with air and missile strikes against Al Qaeda training camps and Taliban military targets in Afghanistan. Navy ships, Air Force bombers, and allied aircraft delivered precision and conventional munitions while special operations forces prepared to link up with local resistance groups on the ground. The opening bombardment quickly degraded fixed targets and command centers, enabling rapid advances in the months that followed. At the same time, the operation marked the beginning of what would become a long, complex counterinsurgency and nation-building effort. Decisions taken in these early days shaped deployments, tactics, and burdens that would define a generation of American military service.