Operation Enduring Freedom - October 2001

• Day 25: Wed, 10/31/01 - US will try to put into action the "Global Hawk", a surveillance plane that can use infrared to see tunnel systems.
• Day 24: Tue, 10/30/01 - "Huge plumes of smoke" erupt from American bomb blast over Taliban front lines.  US is making first munitions drops to N. Alliance forces, which are then gathered and moved by horses, donkeys, and mules.
• Day 23: Mon, 10/29/01 - US urged by many to increase troops; Homefront: Citizens warned by Atty Gen John Ashcroft to be highly alert to possible terrorist activity this week.  Pentagon briefing about today's bombing in Afghanistan.
• Day 22: Sun, 10/28/01 - Heavy bombing continues, but N. Alliance says the US needs to do more.
• Day 21: Sat, 10/27/01 - Daylong assault on Taliban front lines.
• Day 20: Fri, 10/26/01 - Key opposition Pashtun leader, Abdul Haq, captured and hanged by Taliban.  He was executed because "he was spying for Britain and the United States" and was found with "two satellite telephones, US dollars and unspecified documents."  The Taliban's Bakhtar news agency also claimed that "one jet and two helicopters came to try to help him but they failed."  Homefront:  US Supreme Court closes doors due to Anthrax scare.
• Day 19: Thur, 10/25/01 - Cluster bombs aid US led strikes.
• Day 18: Wed, 10/24/01 - Pakistan border guards reported five powerful explosions near a region in Afghanistan's Paktia province where bin Laden is thought to run a tunnel complex. The concussions were so powerful that Pakistani officials said they believed 5,000-pound bombs were being used to collapse mountainsides and close tunnel entrances.  Vice President Cheney said Americans should assume there would be more terrorist attacks.
• Day 17: Tue, 10/23/01 - US blasted oil storage facilities in Kandahar; hit frontlines
• Day 16: Mon, 10/22/01 - Two US helicopters came under fire in Pakistan as their crews tried to retrieve wrecked helicopter that crashed Friday.  Australia deployed 1500 troops to the Persian Gulf.
• Day 15: Sun, 10/21/01 - Taliban troops and tanks are the new target.
• Day 14: Sat, 10/20/01 - Successful overnight US commando raids in S. Afghanistan.  12 elite US Delta Force commandos were injured by Taliban in raid near Kandahar.
• Day 13: Fri, 10/19/01 - 2 US soldiers die in helicopter crash (Army Black Hawk) in Pakistan; they were backup to the 100 US Army Rangers carrying out attacks in southern Afghanistan
• Day 12: Thur, 10/18/01 - at least 3 US ground force units in Afghanistan
• Day 11:  Wed, 10/17/01 - Heavy firing in Kandahar.
• Day 10:  Tue, 10/16/01 - More strikes.  Taliban forces taking refuge in mosques, hoping to be less of a target.
• Day 9:  Mon, 10/15/01 - US forces used AC-130 gunships in Afghanistan marking the first acknowledged use of special forces aircraft in this war on terrorism.  Heaviest daytime firing to date.  US & British strikes are aimed at weakening Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  Taliban called for Northern Alliance to join their forces.
• Day 8:  Sun, 10/14/01 - Heavy US & British air strikes on Afghanistan's 2 largest cities, Kabul and Kandahar.
• Day 7:  Sat, 10/13/01 - US led air attacks on Kabul, Herat, and Kandahar, in Afghanistan.  US Central Command said that allied warplanes also attacked military installations in southern Iraq for the 3rd time this month, using "precision-guided weapons to hit a command and control target in response to continued threats to patrolling US and British pilots."  Apparently the 2nd strike happened 10/3/01.
• Day 6:  Fri, 10/12/01 - US air raids on Kabul - ceased during prayer time.  Violent anti-American protests in Pakistan.  One year anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole.  Homefront:  US citizens buying more guns, including those who never owned guns before.
• Day 5: Thur, 10/11/01 - Surprise!  Heavy bombing today including use of scatter bombs.  News media will now use some discretion before airing newsclips of terrorists' statements, in the event that they are sending messages to their fellow barbarians.  NOTE:  FBI issued warning to every US citizen - there are threats of terrorist acts over next few days.
• Day 4:  Wed, 10/10/01 - Last night of pre-planned fixed-target bombing - will now bomb, day or night, only as targets emerge.  A US unmanned reconnaissance plane was shot down over Iraq.  First reported US casualty - soldier killed in heavy equipment accident in Qatar.
• Day 3:  Tue, 10/9/01 - US strikes with about 1/3 as much activity as Day 1.  US Pentagon claims "we have won airspace in Afghanistan."  FBI issued Most Wanted List with 22 terrorists.
• Day 2:  Mon, 10/8/01 - US (only) continued air strikes on Afghanistan; about 1/2 as much activity as yesterday
  • All Taliban radar across the country have been taken out.
  • No successful movement on part of N. Alliance
  • Homefront: Ships are now required to give 96 hours notice before entering US ports; bioterrorism threat - see BioTerrorism page
• DAY 1: Mon, 10/7/01 - US and Great Britain began military operations in Afghanistan Sunday, October 7, 2001 at 11:27AM CDT (8:57PM Afghan time), targeting Al Qaeda training camps and Taliban military installations.  Canada, Australia, France, and Germany pledged military support, if requested.  Head of Afghan Northern Alliance Dr. Abdullah Abdullah said when the US starts attacks, they would begin their assault on the Taliban.  Russia is aiding the N. Alliance.
  • Bombs/aircraft were launched from:
    • USS Enterprise and USS Carl Vinson, aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea and their entourage; deployed The Grumman F-14 Tomcat fixed wing aircraft and F-18s
    • Great Britain's island base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean; B-1 and B-52 bombers remain based there
    • Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri; the B-2 Stealth Bombers had a 22 hour flight to Afghanistan and refueled in mid-air
  • British provided military support including subs and ships with cruise missiles
  • US only used Pakistan airspace, not their air bases; no attacks were launched from countries surrounding Afghanistan; the surrounding countries fear Taliban retaliation
  • Targeted Afghan training camps were in Kunar and Khost.  Targeted Taliban air bases were in Herat, Bamiyan, Shepur, Shindand, Farah, and Kandahar.  Jalalabad also targeted as a suspected bin Laden headquarters and bunker.
  • A group of about 100 Afghan citizens began trying to seize Zaranj from the Taliban after the US/Britain and North Alliance attacks.
  • Some strategic reasoning for timing of strikes:
    • night time with waning moon, clear skies (sandstorms had stopped) provided optimum conditions for US night vision tactics
    • US government holiday tomorrow (Columbus Day), so government buildings will be closed, in the event of Taliban retaliation
    • urgency as far as the harsh Afghan winter weather will soon arrive and the Muslim Ramadan holiday will begin November 16/17th
  • 2 US humanitarian C-17 cargo planes, departing from Germany, were allowed to fly through Russian airspace to drop supplies (food and medicine) to Afghanistan people.  Drops were made after the waves of US & British military action, in rural areas that were unlikely to have SAMs (surface to air missiles).  37,000 individually packaged rations were each wrapped with a message explaining that this was "a gift from the U.S. government".
  • Iran denounces US's strike as "unacceptable"; Iraq said "Today's strikes are treacherous aggression"; Taliban stated "We are ready for Jihad."