Back to the future in Afghanistan?

On October 7, 2001, a US-led coalition began an intense bombing campaign on Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The UK was alongside Uncle Sam and logistical support was also provided by France, Germany, Australia and Canada.

The “war on terror” had officially begun. A shocked world, shaken to its core by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. pledged its troth to the effort.

This was Operation ‘Enduring Freedom’ and it lasted nearly 21 years. The timespan of the conflict in Afghanistan gave it a place in the record books. It’s the longest war in US history.

But in 2022, the Afghan political landscape looks awfully familiar, much like the country pre-Operation Enduring Freedom. The Taliban are back in charge and US missiles are targeting senior Al Qaeda conspiracists on Afghan soil.

When the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the group had promised it never again would allow the country to be a haven for international jihadis. But it has.

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