After more than 13 years, the U.S-led effort to thwart the efforts of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan has come to an end. Both President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued statements declaring the conclusion of Operation Enduring Freedom. The mission began not long after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 11, 2001. Intelligence reports indicated that the brain trust that fostered the attacks centered in Afghanistan, under the tutelage of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. According to the latest Pentagon statistics, 4,412 U.S. service members and 13 Defense Department civilians died in combat and non-combat operations in Afghanistan. Another 31,949 were wounded.
“For more than 13 years, ever since nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken from us on 9/11, our nation has been at war in Afghanistan. Now, thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion,” Obama said.
Said Hagel: “As our Afghan partners assume responsibility for the security of their country … we begin our follow-on mission – Operation Freedom’s Sentinel – to help secure and build upon the hard-fought gains of the last 13 years.”
