Afghanistan Peace CampaignFollowing the attacks, the United States held Al-Qaeda responsible and launched military operations in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001.
Akhtar Rasekh, a political analyst, said: “This plan was organized and orchestrated by the US CIA. The claim that Osama bin Laden carried out this act was used as a pretext. They themselves transferred Osama bin Laden from Saudi Arabia to Peshawar and organized and armed him against the Soviet Union. Osama played an active role in the killing of supporters of the Soviet Union.”
Following this, the international presence in Afghanistan expanded. Forces from the United States, Britain, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Türkiye, and dozens of other countries entered Afghanistan as part of the coalition and NATO mission.
At its peak, more than 50 countries were members or partners of the ISAF mission, with the number of troops exceeding 130,000.
Shah Sawar Sangarwal, a historian, said: “During these two decades, Afghanistan suffered extensive losses in all sectors. Many people were killed and wounded, and a large number of citizens fled the country. The ‘Mother of All Bombs’ was also used in Afghanistan.”
According to figures from the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), at least 66,000 Afghan security personnel and more than 48,000 civilians were killed since 2001.
Aziz Maarij, an international relations analyst, said: “The September 11 attacks were an intelligence and political plan through which the United States sought to establish a presence in Afghanistan and the region and threaten its rivals, including Russia, China, and Iran. But when it came, it faced resistance, was also blamed, and failed to achieve its objectives.”
The financial cost of the US presence was also substantial. By 2021, the US Department of Defense had spent more than $837 billion on the war and nearly $145 billion on Afghanistan’s reconstruction.
However, the Islamic Emirate says Afghanistan had no role in the September 11 attacks and that the subsequent attack on the country was unjustifiable.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said: “The events of September 11 had nothing to do with Afghanistan, and we have repeatedly emphasized this. The September 11 attacks involved the use of extensive capabilities that Afghanistan did not possess at the time.”
The military presence of the United States and its allies ultimately ended in August 2021, and the Islamic Emirate returned to power in Afghanistan.