Operation Enduring Freedom launched after Sept. 11 attacks

On Oct. 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces began airstrikes in Afghanistan, officially beginning the Afghanistan War. 

The attacks were a direct result of the Taliban in Afghanistan refusing to surrender Osama bin Laden, who had orchestrated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks the previous month in the United States.

The mission was divided into three phases. The first included defeating Taliban forces within Afghanistan, which took two months. The second involved restructuring institutions in the Afghan state to ensure it could operate safely and fairly without interruption from terrorist groups. This phase lasted from 2002 to 2008.

The last phase concentrated on building up defense and counterstrategies to counter insurgent Taliban and other terrorist efforts to overthrow the region, which resulted in President Barack Obama increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2009.

Called Operation Enduring Freedom, the conflict would become America's longest war in history, surpassing the Vietnam War, which previously held the record at 103 months. 

The U.S. combat mission officially ended in December 2014, 13 years after the conflict had begun. A total of 1,922 American soldiers died in the Afghanistan war, compared to 58,000 in the Vietnam War.

Roger Gregory served as a captain in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. He is a Priest River businessman.