Reasons for the War in Afghanistan

A Look into the Motives for the Conflict in the Middle East

Nov 9, 2009

With allied troop deaths on the rise, reports of corrupt elections and the news that British commanders are rethinking their strategy, what are the reasons for the war?

The war in Afghanistan began on Oct. 7 2001. Two international military operations are taking place simultaneously: Operation Enduring Freedom is a U.S.-led combat operation involving a number of coalition partners, whilst the second operation is the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which was created by the UN Security Council at the end of 2001.

Reasons for Initial Invasion

The main reason cited for the invasion in 2001 was in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York. The aim was to find Osama bin Laden and put him on trial along with other Al-Qaeda members. Another aim was to end Al-Qaeda as an entity and remove the Taliban regime in Afghanistan which harboured the terrorist organisation and supported them.

Osama bin Laden had been living in Afghanistan with members of terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda and was running militant training camps.

Cost of the War in Afghanistan

In terms of coalition casualties, there have been, according to iCasualties.org, 1,513 coalition forces fatalities. 2009 has been the deadliest year of the war so far, with 466 deaths. Since 2004, fatalities have risen each year.

There is not an official figure for civilian death but estimates have been made by a number of organisations. It must be taken into account that civilian casualties arise from both coalition and Taliban action. Estimates for total deaths since the invasion in 2001 range from 12, 460 to over 30,000.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the United States spends around $3.5 billion (£2.15 billion) per month in Afghanistan. In February 2009, The Guardian newspaper reported that the cost of Britain's military operations in Afghanistan amounted to $4.34 billion (£2.6 billion) for the previous financial year.

Public Opinion on the War in Afghanistan

In June 2007, an international poll taken in 47 countries by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that the majority opposed the war in Afghanistan.

In November 2009, a ComRes poll carried out for the BBC found that 64% of the British public believe that the war is unwinnable and 63% thought that British troops should be withdrawn immediately. (see "British Army to Retreat in Afghanistan")

It is thought that public support for the conflict is dwindling due to increased numbers of casualties and also the reports of electoral fraud in the 2009 Afghan presidential elections. Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister told Afghan President Hamid Karzai that he will not put UK troops "in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption."

The copyright of the article Reasons for the War in Afghanistan in Afghanistan is owned by Patrick Hinton. Permission to republish Reasons for the War in Afghanistan in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.