The War in Afghanistan is an ongoing coalition conflict which began on October 7, 2001 [29], as the US military's Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) that was launched, along with a number of coalition allies, in response to both the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, and as a result of other issues that had existed before the attacks. The UK has, since 2002, led its own military operation, Operation Herrick, as part of the same war in Afghanistan.

The character of the war evolved from a violent struggle against Al-Qaeda and its Taliban supporters to a complex counterinsurgency effort.

The first phase of the war was the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom, to annihilate the safe haven to Al-Qaeda and its use of the Afghan territory as a base of operations for terrorist activities.

In that first phase, U.S. and coalition forces, working with the Afghan opposition

By the end of 2009, there will be 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in addition to 34,500 troops from NATO members and other countries. It's the highest level of foreign troops on Afghan soil since the Soviet Union's occupied the country with 150,000 troops in the 1980s. Yet Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, is asking the Obama administration for an additional 10,000 to 40,000 troops.

US Army conducts meeting with locals in Mosul

U.S. Army soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division conduct a meeting between Iraqi village leaders in Mosul, Iraq, Sept. 27, 2007.

WASHINGTON - Suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to the beheading of American journalist Daniel Pearl and was central to 30 other attacks and plots in the U.S. and worldwide that killed thousands of victims, said a revised transcript released Thursday by the U.S. military.

It is also clear that the cautionary advice from coalition partners be it on the question of bombing in Ramadan or on the folly of employing ground troops in Afghanistan or on the need to call a pause in the military process and extend more efforts and funds on breaking apart the Taliban support base or on locating Osama’s hideouts finds little resonance in Washington. It would be wise for the coalition partners, be it Pakistan or the United Kingdom to understand the Washington mood and plan responses accordingly.

WASHINGTON, Oct 13, 2009 - U.S. national security officials, concerned that President Barack Obama might be abandoning the strategy of full-fledged counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan, are claiming new intelligence assessments suggesting that al Qaeda would be allowed to return to Afghanistan in the event of a Taliban victory.

The British Afghan wars and the Soviet occupation of the 1980s should be a warning against military involvement in a country whose tribal tensions make it almost ungovernable.

There is no longer the opportunity that there was in 2002 and 2003 to build a stable democracy. Overtures have already been made to moderate factions of the Taliban about a power-sharing agreement.

My other reason that we should keep on fighting is because they blew up the twin towers on 9/11 . I feel that they had no right for what they did. They killed millions and alot of brave people died that day. They even distroyed the Pentagon also. And it was all planned by al-Qaeda and the Taliban . They are both responsiable for it.

Another reason that I think that we should fight still is because they dont like us . So if we stop fighting they are going to keep on trying to fight us. So we might as well keep on fighting theres no use of stopping now. Even though were spending alot of money we still need to keep them off our backs . They are even sending there people to blow us up for no reason . So kill them all.

The cons of the war in Afghanistan is that it can waste America money. Also we shouldnt be sending our troops back out there to keep geting hurt. We should bring our troops back from the war asap. So we dont lose any more lives. We are fighting for nothing as i belive.