Directly after 9/11 the Taliban control 90% of Afghanistan Refuse to hand over Bin Laden or expel al-Qaeda By late 2001, CIA and special forces operatives join the Northern Alliance By 2002 – 350 special forces soldiers, 100 CIA operatives, 15,000 Northern Alliance soldiers defeat 50,000 Taliban

Bin Laden escapes into the Northern tribal region of Pakistan US shifts emphasis when war in Iraq begins in 2003 Taliban flees into Northern Pakistan and begins to expand South bringing Sharia law with them Pakistani government reluctant/unable to challenge Taliban

Obama campaigns on a promise to withdraw troops from Iraq and put them in Afghanistan End of Bush presidency and start of Obama administration see doubling of US troops (to 60,000) By UK: 6,800; Germany: 3,400; France: 2,700 Casualties: Taliban -- 20,000 killed US killed Afghani security forces – 4,500 killed Northern Alliance – 200 killed Current Taliban and al-Qaeda strength (estimate) 9,000-13,000

Weapons of Mass Destruction Sanctions – food for oil, corruption Suffering Civilian Iraqi population No-fly zones, US troops still in Saudi Arabia Sadam Husseins brutality Spread democracy Psychological?

Conventional war goes very well (250,000 US and 45,000 British soldiers capture Baghdad in three weeks) Military unprepared for massive looting Kurds, Shias happy – Sunnis nervous US disbands Iraqi army

Sunnis launch resistance campaign against US troops al-Qaeda foments civil war – attacks al-Askari shrine Concerns over Shia alliance with Iran US strategy – heavily defended bases, patrols, searching for enemy

Starting in 2007 Awakening Councils created in Sunni areas – assisted by al-Qaeda brutality Troops stationed in neighborhoods and live among civilian population Walls built between Shia and Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad General Petraeus