The analyzed document is devoted to the operations of the US Army in Afghanistan, the leading causes for the emergence of the need for military intervention, strategy, and description of the opposing forces, their intents, and peculiarities. The region has always been the source of instability and terrorist threat to the whole world.
Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001 became the last events that demonstrated the need for an effective response with the primary goal to stabilize the situation and protect US citizens from new waves of terror and violence. The balance of power peculiar to the region and the historical background that promoted the creation of the specific situation became other factors that laid the ground for the critical destabilization of the country.
Along with the description of operations performed by military forces of the USA, its purposes, results, and peculiarities, the document also reveals opponents’ strategic intents and issues that formed relations between all parties to the conflict. In the 21st century, Afghanistan was in shambles and characterized by a lack of stability. The tribal structure that has always been the most powerful political force in the land prevented the effective functioning of the central government.
Moreover, the Soviet invasion destroyed the emerging political and economic structures. It created the basis for the emergence of strong actors who tried to take advantage of this chaos and grasp power. One of the major strategic intentions represented by the Taliban group was to return the country to Islamic rule using violent measures and brutal responses to eliminate all kinds of opposition and resistance. This group also cultivated the growth of terrorist groups, such as Al Qaeda headed by Osama Bin Laden, who followed similar purposes and wanted to attract global attention and spread havoc in the world.
The document also outlines the primary threats the opponent perceived. Taliban correctly realized the violent character of their actions and the illegal nature of their government. Moreover, accepting the leading role of the USA in global politics, terrorist groups recognized US military forces as one of the primary threats to their power in the region.
The previous operations in the Middle East, along with the traditionally high American interest in Afghanistan and neighboring areas, were also taken as threatening factors that could have a pernicious impact on the further spread of Taliban and Islamic rule. For this reason, terrorist attacks and war were accepted as one of the strategies to deal with this threat. Moreover, because of the landscape, Taliban forces felt safe and protected from all operations except for the troops on the ground.
The text states that to operate in the area successfully, the USA had to create a base to organize its functioning and accomplish goals. For this reason, the first operations were focused on securing the area and penetrating some regions of the country.
Moreover, with further advance, new missions, such as the raid on Kandahar and capture of Kabul, were completed. In general, the analyzed document outlines the strategy of the USA, its achievements, and its contribution to the destruction of the Taliban, one of the primary sources of instability and terrorist attacks in the region. Moreover, the liberation of Afghanistan and the defeat of Al Qaeda became other successes that were preconditioned by planning, support of Northern Alliance, and in-time intervention to avoid new acts of violence and destructions.