Afghanistan War
President George W. Bush signs a joint decision authorizing the use of force against those responsible for an attack on the United States on 9/11.
The joint decision will later be cited by Bush officials as a legitimate reason for their decision to take serious anti-terrorism measures, from attacking Afghanistan, to obeying American citizens without a court order, and to setting up a detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. .
Start of War
Following the fall of Kabul in November 2001, the United Nations invited major Afghan groups, particularly the Northern Alliance and the former (but not the Taliban) faction, to a conference in Bonn, Germany. On December 5, 2001, the two parties signed the Bonn Convention, ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 1383. The agreement, reportedly reached with much Iranian diplomatic assistance in support of Iran's support of the Northern Alliance, states Hamid Karzai. as interim administrative head, and. creates an international peacekeeping force to maintain security in Kabul. The Bonn Convention is followed by UN Security Council Resolution 1386 on December 20, which establishes the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF.
Former Taliban fighters in Shebargan prison.
A former Taliban activist in the Shebargan prison, Afghanistan. Yuri Kozyrev / AP Photo Sharing
December 9, 2001
The Taliban Is Falling
The end of the Taliban regime usually coincides with this day, when the Taliban handed over Kandahar [PDF] and Taliban leader Mullah Omar fleeing the city, leaving it under international law controlled by Pastun leaders. Despite the official collapse of the Taliban, al-Qaeda leaders continue to hide in the mountains