Operation Enduring Freedom
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This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. |
| Operation Enduring Freedom | |||||||
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| Part of the War on Terrorism | |||||||
 U.S. Marines during Operation El Dorado. |
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| Combatants | |||||||
 United States
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 Talibanal-Qaeda Abu Sayyaf Jemaah Islamiyah |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| General Tommy Franks Brig. Gen. Donny Wurster Gen. Bryan D. Brown Brig. Gen. David FraserBrig. Gen. Arvydas Pocius |
Mohammed Omar Osama bin Laden Khadaffy Janjalani† Riduan Isamuddin |
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| Casualties | |||||||
| U.S.: 375 killed, 1,141 wounded Canada: 45 killed, 200+ wounded UK: 52 killed Other NATO forces: 73 killed Afghan forces: 1,600 killed Philippine military: 282 killed Ethiopian army, Somali TFG, Somali ARPCT: 600 killed |
12,000 killed, 28,700 captured | ||||||
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the official name used by the U.S. government for its military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. It was previously planned to have been called "Operation Infinite Justice," but this phrase had previously been restricted to the description of God (among followers of several faiths), and it is believed to have been changed to avoid offense to Muslims.[1] On October 5, 2006 NATO officially took over control of US forces in Afghanistan. [1]
The Operation comprises several subordinate operations:
- Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan (OEF-A)
- Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines (OEF-P) (formerly Operation Freedom Eagle)
- Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA)
- Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara (OEF-TS)[2]
- Operation Enduring Freedom - Pankisi Gorge
The term "OEF" typically refers to the war in Afghanistan. Other operations, such as in Pankisi Gorge, are only loosely or nominally connected to OEF, such as through government funding vehicles.[3] All the operations, however, have a focus on antiterrorism activities.
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[edit] Overview
On October 7, 2001, early combat operations including a mix of strikes from land-based B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers; carrier-based F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet fighters; and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from both U.S. and British ships and submarines signaled the start of Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan (OEF-A). The initial military objectives of OEF-A, as articulated by President George W. Bush in his Sept. 20th Address to a Joint Session of Congress and his Oct. 7th address to the country, included the destruction of terrorist training camps and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al-Qaeda leaders, and the cessation of terrorist activities in Afghanistan."[2]
In January 2002, over 1,200 soldiers from the United States Special Operation Command Pacific (SOCPAC) deployed to Philippines to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines in their push to uproot terrorists forces on the island of Basilan. Of those groups included are Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. [3] The operation consisted of training the AFP in counter-terrorist operations as well as supporting the local people with humanitarian aid in Operation Smiles. PDF
In October 2002, the Combined Joint Task Force 150 and United States military Special Forces established themselves in Djibouti at Camp Le Monier. The stated goals of the operation were to provide humanitarian aid and patrol the Horn of Africa to reduce the abilities of terrorist organizations in the region. Similar to OEF-P, the goal of humanitarian aid was highlighted in order to prevent terrorist organizations from being able to take hold amongst the population as well as reemerge after being removed. The military aspect involves coalition forces searching and boarding ships entering the region for illegal cargo as well as providing training and equipment to the armed forces in the region. The humanitarian aspect involves building schools, clinics and water wells to enforce the confidence of the local people.
The operation continues, with military direction mostly coming from United States Central Command.
[edit] Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan (OEF-A)
[edit] The Taliban
Seizing upon a power vacuum after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan after their invasion, the Taliban ruled with an iron fist from 1996-2001. Their extreme interpretation of Islamic law prompted them to ban music, television, sports, and dancing, oppress women and children, and enforce harsh judicial penalties. Amputation was an accepted form of punishment for stealing[4][5], and public executions could often be seen at the Kabul football stadium.[6][7] Women's rights groups around the world cried often and loudly as the Taliban banned women from appearing in public or holding many jobs outside the home. They drew further criticism when they destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, historical statues nearly 2,000 years old, because the buddhas were considered idols.
In 1996, Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden moved to Afghanistan upon the invitation of the Northern Alliance leader Abdur Rabb ur Rasool Sayyaf. When the Taliban came to power, bin Laden was able to forge an alliance between the Taliban and his Al-Qaeda organization. It is understood that al-Qaeda-trained fighters known as the 055 Brigade were integrated with the Taliban army between 1997 and 2001. It has been suggested that the Taliban and bin Laden had very close connections [verification needed].
[edit] U.S. action
On September 21, 2001, the U.S. claimed that Osama Bin Laden was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, and made a five point ultimatum to the Taliban: [8].
- Deliver to the US all of the leaders of Al Qaeda
- Release all imprisoned foreign nationals
- Close immediately every terrorist training camp
- Hand over every terrorist and their supporters to appropriate authorities
- Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection
On September 20, 2001, the Taliban rejected this ultimatum, stating there was no evidence in their possession linking bin Laden to the September 11 attacks [9].
On September 22, 2001 the United Arab Emirates and later Saudi Arabia withdrew their recognition of the Taliban as the legal government of Afghanistan, leaving neighboring Pakistan as the only remaining country with diplomatic ties.
On October 4, 2001, it is believed that the Taliban covertly offered to turn bin Laden over to Pakistan for trial in an international tribunal that operated according to Islamic shar'ia law [10]. Pakistan is believed to have rejected the offer.
On October 7, 2001, the Taliban proposed to try bin Laden in Afghanistan in an Islamic court[11]. This proposition was immediately rejected by the U.S. Shortly afterward, the same day, the United States, supported by a coalition of other countries, initiated military action against the Taliban, bombing Taliban forces and Al Qaeda terrorist training camps[12]. On October 14 the Taliban proposed to hand bin Laden over to a third country for trial, but only if they were given evidence of bin Laden's involvement in the events of September 11, 2001[13]. The U.S. rejected this proposal and continued with military operations.
The UN Security Council, on January 16, 2002, unanimously established an arms embargo and the freezing of identifiable assets belonging to bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining Taliban.
[edit] Combat operations start
On Sunday October 7, 2001, American and British forces began an aerial bombing campaign targeting Taliban forces and al-Qaeda.
The Northern Alliance, fighting against a Taliban weakened by US bombing and massive defections, captured Mazari Sharif on November 9. It rapidly gained control of most of northern Afghanistan and took control of Kabul on November 13 after the Taliban unexpectedly fled the city. The Taliban were restricted to a smaller and smaller region, with Kunduz, the last Taliban-held city in the north, captured on November 26. Most of the Taliban fled to Pakistan. The war continued in the south of the country, where the Taliban retreated to Kandahar. After Kandahar fell in December, remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda continued to mount resistance.
The Battle of Tora Bora, involving US, British and Northern Alliance forces took place on December 2001 to further destroy the Taliban and suspected Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. In early March 2002 the United States military, along with allied Afghan military forces, conducted a large operation to destroy Al-Qaeda in an operation code-named Operation Anaconda. The operation was comprised of elements of the United States 10th Mountain Division, 101st Airborne Division, the US special forces groups TF 11, TF Bowie, and TF Dagger, British Royal Marines, Canada's 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the Afghan National Army, the German KSK, and elements of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and of the New Zealand Special Air Service.
After managing to evade U.S. forces throughout the summer of 2002, the remnants of the Taliban gradually began to regain their confidence. A Canadian and US led operation (supported by British and Dutch forces), Operation Mountain Thrust was launched in May 2006 to counter renewed Taliban insurgency.
Since January 2006, the NATO International Security Assistance Force undertook combat duties from Operation Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan, the NATO force chiefly made up of British, Canadian and Dutch forces (and some smaller contributions from Denmark, Romania and Estonia and air support from Norway as well as air and artillery support from the US). The United States military also conducts military operations separate from NATO as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in other parts of Afghanistan.
[edit] International Support
The United States was supported by several nations during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001-2003. See the article Afghanistan War order of battle for the current disposition of coalition forces in Afghanistan.
[edit] Result
The U.S.-led Coalition is credited with removing the Taliban from power and seriously crippling the al-Qaida and associated militants in both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
On October 9, 2004, Afghanistan elected Hamid Karzai President in its first direct elections. The following year, Afghans conducted the Afghan parliamentary election, 2005 on September 18, 2005. Since the invasion, hundreds of schools and mosques have been constructed, millions of dollars in aid has been distributed, and the occurrence of violence has been greatly reduced. While military forces interdict insurgents and assure security, Provincial reconstruction teams are tasked with infrastructure building, like constructing roads and bridges, assisting during floods, and providing food and water to refugees. Many warlords have participated in an allegiance program, recognizing the legitimacy of the Government of Afghanistan, and surrendering their soldiers and weapons, though some of their subsequent actions have led to serious questions about their true loyalties. The newly activated Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and Afghan Border Police are being trained to assume the task of securing their nation. However, the Taliban still wields strong influence in many regions, and Karzai's government is believed to hold little real power outside the capital city of Kabul.
[edit] Criticism
AFP, reporting on a news story in the Sunday, April 3, 2004, issue of The New Yorker, wrote that retired Army Colonel Hy Rothstein, "who served in the Army Special Forces for more than 20 years, ... commissioned by The Pentagon to examine the war in Afghanistan concluded the conflict created conditions that have given 'warlordism, banditry and opium production a new lease on life' ...."
The conduct of U.S. forces was criticised in a report entitled Enduring Freedom - Abuses by US Forces in Afghanistan by U.S.-based human rights group, Human Rights Watch in 2004.
[edit] Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines (OEF-P)
[edit] Abu Sayyaf Group
The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) Al Harakat Al Islamiyya, is deemed a "foreign terrorist organization" by the United States government. Specifically, it is an Islamist separatist group based in and around the southern islands of the Republic of the Philippines, primarily Jolo, Basilan, and Mindanao.
Since inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and extortion in their fight for an independent Islamic state in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, with a claimed overarching goal of creating a Pan-Islamic superstate across the Malay portions of Southeast Asia, spanning, from east to west, the large island of Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago (Basilan and Jolo islands), the large island of Borneo (Malaysia and Indonesia), the South China Sea, and the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar).
[edit] Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah is a militant Islamic terrorist organization dedicated to the establishment of a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy in Southeast Asia, in particular Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, the south of Thailand and the Philippines.
Financial links between Jemaah Islamiyah and other terrorist groups, such as Abu Sayyaf and al-Qaeda, have been found to exist. [14] Jemaah Islamiyah means "Islamic Group" or "Islamic Community" and is often abbreviated JI.
Jemaah Islamiyah is thought to have killed hundreds of civilians and is suspected of having executed the Bali car bombing on October 12, 2002 in which suicide bombers killed 202 people, mostly Australian tourists, and wounded many in a nightclub. After this attack, the U.S. State Department designated Jemaah Islamiyah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Jemaah Islamiyah is also suspected of carrying out the Zamboanga bombings, the Metro Manila bombings, the 2004 Jakarta embassy bombing and the 2005 Bali terrorist bombing.
[edit] U.S. action
In January 2002, 1,200 members of United States Special Operations Command, Pacific (SOCPAC) were deployed to the Philippines to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in uprooting the terrorist forces of al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The members of SOCPAC were assigned to assist in military operations against the terrorist forces as well as humanitarian operations for the island of Basilan, where most of the conflict was expected to take place.
The United States Special Forces (SP) unit trained and equipped special forces and scout rangers of the AFP, creating the Light Reaction Company (LRC). The LRC and elements of SOCPAC deployed to Basilan on completion of their training. The stated goals of the deployment were as follows: [15]
- Denying the ASG sanctuary.
- Surveiling, controlling, and denying ASG routes.
- Surveiling supporting villages and key personnel.
- Conducting local training to overcome AFP weaknesses and sustain AFP strengths.
- Supporting operations by the AFP "strike force" (LRC) in the area of responsibility (AOR).
- Conducting and supporting civil affairs operations in the AOR.
[edit] Result
The desired result was for the AFP to gain sufficient capability to locate and destroy the ASG, to recover hostages and to enhance the legitimacy of the Philippine government. Much of the operation was a success; the ASG was driven from Basilan, and one U.S. hostage was recovered. [16] The Abu Sayyaf Group's ranks, which once swelled above 800+ operatives, has been reduced to less than 100. The humanitarian portion of the operation, Operation Smiles, has created 14 schools, 7 clinics, 3 hospitals and provided medical care to over 18,000 residents of Basilan. Humanitarian groups were able to continue their work without fear of further kidnappings and terrorists attacks by the Abu Sayyaf Group. [17] [18]
[edit] Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA)
Unlike other operations contained in Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF-HOA does not have a specific terrorist organization as a target. OEF-HOA instead focuses its efforts to disrupt and detect terrorist activities in the region and to work with host nations to deny the reemergence of terrorist cells and activities. In October 2002, the Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) was established in Djibouti at Camp Le Monier containing approximately 2,000 personnel including U.S. military and Special Operations Forces (SOF), and coalition force members, Coalition Task Force 150 (CTF-150). The coalition force consist of ships from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. The primary goal of the coalition forces is to monitor, inspect, board and stop suspected shipments from entering the Horn of Africa region and areas of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[19]
CJTF-HOA has devoted the majority of its efforts to train selected armed forces units of the countries of Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency tactics. Humanitarian efforts conducted by CJTF-HOA include rebuilding of schools and medical clinics as well as providing medical services to those countries whose forces are being trained. The program expands as part of the Trans-Saharan Counter Terrorism Initiative as CJTF personnel also assist in training the forces of Chad, Niger, Mauritania and Mali. [20]
[edit] U.S. Action
In January 2007, during the war in Somalia, an AC-130 airstrike was conducted against Al Qaeda members embedded with forces of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) operating in southern Somalia near Ras Kamboni. US naval forces, including the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, were positioned off the coast of Somalia to provide support and to prevent any Al Qaeda forces escaping by sea.
[edit] Military decorations
Since 2002, the United States military has created military awards and decorations related to Operation Enduring Freedom:
NATO also created a military decoration related to Operation Enduring Freedom:
- Non-Article 5 ISAF NATO Medal
[edit] Further reading
Sean M. Maloney, Enduring The Freedom: A Rogue Historian In Afghanistan.(Dulles: Potomac Books, Incorporated, 2005)
[edit] References
- ^ "NATO not in charge of US forces in Afghanistan", Houston Chronicle, October 6, 2006.
- ^ EUCOM: Operations and Initiatives. EUCOM. Retrieved on February 6, 2007.
- ^ Helping Georgia?. Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy (March–April 2002). Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
[edit] See also
- Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan
- International Security Assistance Force
- War on Terrorism
- Afghanistan Orbat
