Is the United States winning the war on terror? That, as always is a tough question to answer outright. The answer is yes and no. Yes, the government has done a tremendous job of handling all new events since the 9/11 attack, and thus a major offensive on terrorism has been successful. Yet, at the same time, the country has a very long way to go if ever it wants to get as close as possible to ending this war on terrorism.
Our recent withdrawal of most American troops out of Afghanistan has marked a major shift in the terrorist activities within the country. At the height of the war in 2007, there were over 505 bases and 170,000 troops in Afghanistan. Now there are one 2 bases and about 505 troops in the country. (Thom , Michael & Robert, 2011) This withdrawal marks a trust for the Iraqi people. The US government feels that the country is capable of running a fair and non-extremist government, and so, “Iraq will be tested in the days ahead — by terrorism, and by those who would seek to divide.” (Thom , Michael & Robert, 2011)
The Iraqis will be closely watched by all governments, especially the U.S to see ifs they can be let to live alone of their own volition, and if so, they will be a predominantly free state. The hope is that they will be able to manage themselves and protect agains future terror takeovers. The removal of these American troops has given the jihadis less of a reason to attack, the country must be watched to ensure that the terror leaders do not take over the weakened government and try to resume a path to destruction. (Thom , Michael & Robert, 2011)
“Nearly 80 percent of al Qaeda’s members in Afghanistan were killed in the final months of 2001.” In addition, top leaders of these movements like Osama bin L...
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Thom , S., Michael , S., & Robert, W. (2011). In baghdad, panetta leads uneasy moment of closure. New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/world/middleeast/panetta-in-baghdad-for-iraq-military-handover-ceremony.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&adxnnlx=1394431304-DFMchDpH/nigQuLFLh8j7A
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Since the year 2001, Afghanistan’s history with the United States has been very rough and destructive due to the Afghanistan War. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, then-President George W. Bush signed a joint law resolution authorizing the use of force against those responsible for the 9/11 attack (“U.S. War in Afghanistan”). On October 7th, 2001, the US launched missile strikes against Taliban military starting the official “War of Afghanistan” (Afghanistan Profile - Timeline). Twelve days after the airstrikes, the first wave of conventional ground forces arrive in Afghanistan (“U.S. War in Afghanistan”). In August 2003, two years after the start of the war, there are now over 10,000 American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan (“U.S. War in Afghanistan”). A few years passed by without any major events during the war, until September of 2008 when President Bush sent an extra 4,500 troops to Afghanistan (Afghanistan Profile-
The US relationship between Afghanistan and Iraq has been a severely complicated one since its beginning. Although the U.S. and other western countries had originally supported the mujahideen movement in the 1980’s, the formation of Al-Qaeda and the search for jihads by its members eventually led to the declaration of a fatwa against the United States in 1998. After many terrorist attempts believed to be caused by Al-Qaeda, the conflict culminated with the attacks on the Twin Towers and pentagon on September 11, 2001. The attacks against the United States caused an international domino effect of support. Pr...
Host: On September the 11th 2001, the notorious terror organisation known as Al-Qaeda struck at the very heart of the United States. The death count was approximately 3,000; a nation was left in panic. To this day, counterterrorism experts and historians alike regard the event surrounding 9/11 as a turning point in US foreign relations. Outraged and fearful of radical terrorism from the middle-east, President Bush declared that in 2001 that it was a matter of freedoms; that “our very freedom has come under attack”. In his eyes, America was simply targeted because of its democratic and western values (CNN News, 2001). In the 14 years following this pivotal declaration, an aggressive, pre-emptive approach to terrorism replaced the traditional
September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden decided to “wake the sleeping giant.” The US immediately sent SOF units and CIA officers to recon the area and meet with the Northern Alliance. The primary battle leading up to this operation was Tora Bora, which was absent of conventional forces. Up until this point, the war on terror was predominantly a Special Operations fight along with Air Force for overhead support.3 SOF and the Northern Alliance had already displaced Taliban forces out of many towns and villages in northern Afghanistan to gain control of key terrain. Key towns in northern Afghanistan including Taloqan, Konduz, Herat, and Mazar-e Sharif took only three weeks to clear.4 The SOF units were making huge impacts across the country calling in air strikes. At the same time the SOF units were diligently...
The war on terrorism in Afghanistan has been the longest war in the history of the United States of America, the war that nobody wanted is finally coming to an end. Ever since the September 11th attack on the twin tower in the heart of New York, the United States has led a 13 year long war on terrorism in the war-torn country, Afghanistan. The ending of the war is a major turning point in the history of America and Afghanistan. The ending of the war will be the greatest test on the people of Afghanistan to see how they will take their country into their own hand and decide its fate. The future of Afghanistan is that it will not be stable enough to run on its own due to the high level of poverty, high levels of corruption and limited influence from foreign countries after the departure of foreign troops and the presidential elections taking place in Afghanistan.
In discussions of whether America is winning the war on terrorism, on controversial issue has been if the United States have been winning the war on terror. On the one hand, James Fallows argues The United States Is Winning The War On Terrorism. On the other hand, Seth Jones contends that Al Qaeda Has Not Been Defeated. My view on the subject is I believe that The United States is Winning the battle in some places and maybe winning the battle on Al Qaeda, but I believe that there will still be acts of terrorism around the world.
Gaddis, John Lewis. "Chapter 1 And Now This: Lessons From The Old Era For The New One." The Age of Terror: America and the World After Sept Ll. Ed. Nayan Chanda and Strobe Talbott. New York: Basic, 2001. 1-21. Print.
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon in Washington D.C.3, the U.S. government deployed its troops to Afghanistan in Octo...
8) ?After the Attack?The War on Terrorism? (2001). Online at: <http://www.monthlyreview.org/1101edit.htm>, consulted on March 29th, 2004.
Telhami, Shibley. "Understanding the Challenge." The Middle East Journal 25 (2002): 9-18. The Middle East Journal. Web. 22 May 2011.