On this day in 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks when al-Qaida terrorists hijacked commercial jets to crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President George W. Bush announced that American troops were conducting offensive operations in Afghanistan.
The mission, known as Operation Enduring Freedom, aimed to eliminate the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which had provided support to al-Qaida and its leader, Osama bin Laden, a Saudi national residing in the Afghan mountains who incited his followers to attack Americans.
In a televised address that night, Bush told the American people that “carefully targeted actions” were underway to dismantle the military capabilities of both al-Qaida and the Taliban, with assistance from troops of British, Canadian, Australian, German, and French nationality. Furthermore, an additional 40 countries contributed intelligence and provided bases for the operations.
Bush praised this multinational coalition as evidence that the United States, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, enjoyed “the collective will of the world.” He also cautioned that the conflict in Afghanistan might just be the initial front in what could be a prolonged battle against terrorism. He promised to pursue what he termed the “war on terror” into nations that sponsored, harbored, or trained terrorists.
