Why did the US invade Afghanistan in 2001?

Answer 1

Please Note that the invasion of Afghanistan was undertaken by an INTERNATIONAL force lead by the Americans.

The invasion was ordered/sanctioned by the UNITED NATIONS (after a vote) because it was clear that the Taliban who were the government in Afghanistan were sheltering and supporting Al-Qaeda. The Al-Qaeda training camps and headquarters were in Afghanistan and so was Osama bin Laden.

After the Al-Qaeda atrocity on the US on 9/11 the organization and training camps had to be removed and as the Taliban would not do this, they needed to be removed and the people of Afghanistan given the opportunity to set out on the path of democratic self government.

Answer 2

Answer 1To defeat the Russian occupation Answer 2Actually, the Russian occupation was defeated by Al-Qaeda that was established and trained by the US Army and financed by the Saudi Arabia. Many volunteers joined Al-Qaeda from many Muslim countries to resist the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. However, after the end of the Russian occupation, the US army invaded Afghanistan claiming their war against terrorism and specifically Al-Qaeda. They plan to not to withdraw completely the US and NATO military troops from Afghanistan to maintain their interests in the region. Refer to related questions below.

Answer 3

The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in order to remove al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization that attacked the United States on September 11th, as well as overthrowing the Taliban government that had protected them and given them a wide berth to train. Mission creep led to the invasion also having a nation-building character to it, although that was not a reason for the invasion.

As for the wars against the Russians in the previous answers, the United States assisted the Mujahedin in Afghanistan in the 1980s (including al-Qaeda) in resisting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. However, as there were no US boots on the ground, it cannot properly be considered a US invasion.

Answer_4:">Answer 4:Answer 2 is factually incorrect. The groups of militants who fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan were collectively known as mujahadeen. The person giving that answer actually used Al-Qaeda when they should have said Taliban.. even then, their answer will still be incorrect. The Taliban was formed after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan - not to fight the Soviets, but to remove from power the mujahadeen warlords who gained control of the country after the Soviet withdrawal and subsequent collapse of the Afghan government. Answer_5:(Hints_on_Answer_4_above)">Answer 5:(Hints on Answer 4 above)

• Al-Qaeda (with its leader Osama bin Laden) was established and trained by the US and financed by the Saudis.
• Mujahadeen is an Arabic name that means those who struggle against tyrants and occupation forces. They include all those struggling groups; including Al-Qaeda and Taliban; although the Taliban in principle is fighting the NATO and US troops as well as the government that is supporting the US
• When the United States decided to invade Afghanistan; claiming the purpose is to grab Osama bin Laden and stayed on like an unwanted guest; the main hidden reason is that that the Afghans were sitting on some of the world's greatest reserves of mineral wealth?
• the New York Times published that "the vast scale of Afghanistan's mineral wealth was [recently] discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists." Other evidence, and logic, point to the fact that everyone but the Western public knew for a long time, and before the 2001 invasion, that Afghanistan was a treasure trove.
• If there is a road to a happy ending in Afghanistan, much of the path may run underground: in the trillion-dollar reservoir of Natural Resources - oil, gold, iron ore, copper, lithium and other minerals - that has brought hopes of a more self-sufficient country, if only the wealth can be wrested from blood-soaked soil.

• According to a joint report by the Pentagon, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and USAID, Afghanistan is now said to possess "previously unknown" and untapped mineral reserves, estimated authoritatively to be of the order of one trillion dollars. "The previously unknown deposits - including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium - are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

• An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium," a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys.

Refer to related links below and the related questions below addressing whether or not al-Qaeda is responsible for September 11th and whether or not the US is likely to be withdrawing from Afghanistan.

Answer 3

Bush's revenge due to the attacks on the World Trade Center Towers, AKA "The Twin Towers" in New York City on September 11, based on suspicions that Bin Laden was in Afghanistan at the time.

Answer 4

the taliban refused to turn over bin laden after sep. 11, 2001

Answer 5

The Taliban harbored and encouraged the Islamic Extremist group Al-Qaeda that was responsible for the attacks of September 11th.

Answer 6

because they caused 9/11