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The Soviet War in Afghanistan had far-reaching effects on the USSR and the USA.

Although Mikhail Gorbachev had withdrawn Soviet forces from there in 1989, a dangerous political situation remained.

Millions had died from starvation or from the Soviet bombings and raids.

Among the survivors was a generation of people that had known only war, hatred, and fear.

Several million Afghans had either fled to neighbouring Pakistan for refuge or had become internal refugees.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and withdrawal resulted in a weak state full of religious hatred and deep resentment of richer nations.

This would become a breeding ground for terrorism.

In 1994, a group called the Taliban came to prominence.

These were very strict Muslim fighters who imposed strict Sharia law on Afghanistan.

The Taliban sheltered some controversial and dangerous figures.

One of them was Osama Bin Laden.

Bin Laden was the leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda which he had formed in 1988.

He was from a very wealthy Saudi billionaire’s family but he had become involved as a fighter for theMujahideen in the Afghan war.

Bin Laden recruited Muslims from mosques around the world and developed Al-Qaeda into a militant network, connecting a number of different terror organisations.

He was committed to spreading his religious beliefs across the globe and wiping out western (American) influence.

He used Afghanistan and its remoteness as a place to create training camps and spread his anti-western message.

Bin Laden believed Christians and Jews controlled the USA and they were conspiring against Islam.

At the end of the Gulf War in 1991, US troops were still present in Saudi Arabia, a country which contains Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the holiest of all cities according to Islam.

This angered Bin Laden who thought the country had been turned into an 'American colony'.

In 1998, Bin Laden issued a �ڲ��ٷ��� against the USA which ordered Muslims to kill Americans and their Allies, at any chance they got.

Al Qaeda launched a number of attacks on targets across the world.

They attacked a number of US embassies in Africa before the September 11 attacks in 2001.

It was clear that Al Qaeda was posing a greater and greater risk to American interests.

On 11 September 2001, the world watched in shock and horror as New York’s World Trade Centre Towers were reduced to rubble.

The 'Twin Towers' were widely considered to be symbols of America's power and influence.

The attacks were carried out by nineteen men associated with Al-Qaeda who hijacked four airliners which they used to launch suicide attacks on the targets.

The attackers were from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations.

Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City; a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C.

A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism.

Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks, including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.

It was the worst loss of life due to a terrorist incident on U.S. soil.

• After the Afghan war, many Mujahideen fighters left to spread jihadism to other countries

• After the 1991 Gulf war, the USA kept troops stationed in Saudi Arabia. This is where the home of the holiest sites in Islam (Mecca and Medina) is and many Muslims were upset at the USA permanent military presence there.

• Bin Laden issued a �ڲ��ٷ��� in 1996 and then again in 1998 which was a declaration of a jihad or holy war against the United States.

• Bin Laden and others complained about the American military presence in the Middle East, sanctions against Iraq and American support for Israel.

• Some historians believe that Bin Laden hoped the attack would encourage the USA to attack the Muslim world - this would increase support for Bin Laden’s cause.

How did the USA respond to the September 11 attacks?

The American President George W Bush declared a war on terror, dedicated to hunting down those who had carried out the attack and their supporters.

The American response was also to invade Afghanistan in October 2001 in ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’.

The UK and Canada, close allies of the USA, supported its invasion of Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks.

The United Nations declared the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to be ‘terrorist’ organisations and sent a peacekeeping force to Afghanistan in 2002.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) joined the war in Afghanistan in 2003.

Knowing that Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden were based in Afghanistan, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum: either hand over Osama bin Laden and his organisation, or the United States would strike with full force.

Congress passed legislation authorising the use of force in striking against terrorist targets.

Operation Enduring Freedom was the official name used by the Bush administration for the war in Afghanistan.

The war in Afghanistan aimed to:

• Find Osama bin Laden.
• Remove the Taliban from power.
• Defeat Al-Qaeda.
• Set up a democracy in Afghanistan which, it was hoped, would help to end Muslim extremism in central Asia.

• On 7th October 2001, attacks were launched on Afghanistan by Western coalition forces along with the anti-Taliban Afghan Northern Alliance.

• By November 2001, the Afghan capital of Kabul fell.

• By December 2001, air attacks combined with ground forces toppled the Taliban regime but Osama bin Laden was believed to have escaped.

• Within two months, U.S. forces had removed the Taliban from operational power.

• However, the war continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a reorganised Taliban in Afghanistan.

• The Taliban, the ruling power in Afghanistan, were accused by the US of protecting Osama bin Laden.
• There was a lot of international pressure on the Afghan leaders to hand over Osama bin Laden.
• The Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden and as a result, the United States decided they would use their armed forces.
• Taliban requests for negotiations with the U.S. were rejected in favour of military action.

• A new provisional Afghan government was elected democratically. However, there were many political and tribal divisions which constantly threatened stability. The country also remained severely impoverished by decades of war. Realising that Afghanistan needed more help to create a stable government, the International Security Assistance Force was created in 2003 by the UN to help rebuild Afghanistan.

• International relations changed to fight against a new ‘unseen’ enemy. Countries around the world gave their support to the USA and believed that a united front was essential if this new type of enemy was to be destroyed. This coalition of countries promised to help the USA hunt for Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.

• Controversial American methods such as interrogation of prisoners and sending them to tough prison regimes in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba created an international stir and led to many criticising the Americans.