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PURPLE
HEART EMBROIDERED PATCH
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF)
AFGHANISTAN
4 1/2" DIAMETER - HIGHLY DETAILED EMBROIDERED PATCH
With AFGHANISTAN TAB
WHITE MERROWED EDGE - WAX BACKING
Awarded
by United States Armed Forces
Type Military medal (Decoration)
Eligibility Military personnel
Awarded for "Being wounded or killed
in any action against an enemy of the United States
or as a result
of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces"
Status
Currently awarded
First awarded February 22, 1932
Total awarded
Approximately 1,910,162 (as of 5 June 2010)
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COMBAT VETERAN - MILITARY MERIT - PURPLE HEART
| The Purple Heart is a United
States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those
wounded or killed, while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S.
military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, which took the
form of a heart made of purple cloth, the Purple Heart is the oldest
military award still given to U.S. military members; the only earlier award
being the obsolete Fidelity Medallion. The National Purple Heart Hall of
Honor is located in New Windsor, New York.
History
The original Purple Heart, designated as the
Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington—then the
commander-in-chief of the Continental Army – by order from his Newburgh, New
York headquarters on August 7, 1782. The Badge of Military Merit was only
awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers. From then on as its legend
grew; so did its appearance. Although never abolished, the award of the
badge was not proposed again officially until after World War I.
On October 10, 1927,
Army Chief of Staff General Charles Pelot Summerall directed that a draft
bill be sent to Congress "to revive the Badge of Military Merit". The bill
was withdrawn and action on the case ceased January 3, 1928; but the office
of the Adjutant General was instructed to file all materials collected for
possible future use. A number of private interests sought to have the medal
re-instituted in the Army, this included the board of directors of the Fort
Ticonderoga Museum in Ticonderoga, New York.
On January 7, 1931,
Summerall’s successor, General Douglas MacArthur, confidentially reopened
work on a new design, involving the Washington Commission of Fine Arts.
Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the
Quartermaster General, was named to redesign the newly revived medal, which
became known as the Purple Heart. Using general specifications provided to
her, Will created the design sketch for the present medal of the Purple
Heart. The new design was issued on the bicentennial of George Washington's
birth. Her obituary, in the February 8, 1975 edition of The Washington Post
newspaper, reflects her many contributions to military heraldry.
The Commission of Fine
Arts solicited plaster models from three leading sculptors for the medal,
selecting that of John R. Sinnock of the Philadelphia Mint in May 1931. By
Executive Order of the President of the United States, the Purple Heart was
revived on the 200th Anniversary of George Washington's birth, out of
respect to his memory and military achievements, by War Department General
Orders No. 3, dated February 22, 1932.
The criteria were
announced in a War Department circular dated February 22, 1932, and
authorized award to soldiers, upon their request, who had been awarded the
Meritorious Service Citation Certificate, Army Wound Ribbon, or were
authorized to wear Wound Chevrons subsequent to April 5, 1917, the day
before the United States entered World War I. The first Purple Heart was
awarded to MacArthur. During the early period of American involvement in
World War II (December 7, 1941 – September 22, 1943), the Purple Heart was
awarded both for wounds received in action against the enemy and for
meritorious performance of duty. With the establishment of the Legion of
Merit, by an Act of Congress, the practice of awarding the Purple Heart for
meritorious service was discontinued. By Executive Order 9277, dated
December 3, 1942, the decoration was applied to all services; the order
required reasonable uniform application of the regulations for each of the
Services. This executive order also authorized the award only for wounds
received. For both military and civilian personnel during the World War II
era, to meet eligibility for the Purple Heart, AR 600-45, dated September
22, 1943, and May 3, 1944, required identification of circumstances.
Subject to approval of
the Secretary of Defense, Executive Order 10409, dated February 12, 1952,
revised authorizations to include the Service Secretaries. Dated April 25,
1962, Executive Order 11016, included provisions for posthumous award of the
Purple Heart. Dated February 23, 1984, Executive Order 12464, authorized
award of the Purple Heart as a result of terrorist attacks, or while serving
as part of a peacekeeping force, subsequent to March 28, 1973.
On June 13, 1985, the
Senate approved an amendment to the 1985 Defense Authorization Bill, which
changed the precedence of the Purple Heart award, from immediately above the
Good Conduct Medal to immediately above the Meritorious Service Medals.
Public Law 99-145 authorized the award for wounds received as a result of
friendly fire. Public Law 104-106 expanded the eligibility date, authorizing
award of the Purple Heart to a former prisoner of war who was wounded before
April 25, 1962. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998
(Public Law 105-85) changed the criteria to delete authorization for award
of the Purple Heart to any civilian national of the United States, while
serving under competent authority in any capacity with the Armed Forces.
This change was effective May 18, 1998.
During World War II,
nearly 500,000 Purple Heart medals were manufactured in anticipation of the
estimated casualties resulting from the planned Allied invasion of Japan. To
the present date, total combined American military casualties of the
sixty-five years following the end of World War II—including the Korean and
Vietnam Wars—have not exceeded that number. In 2003, there remained 120,000
Purple Heart medals in stock. The existing surplus allowed combat units in
Iraq and Afghanistan to keep Purple Hearts on-hand for immediate award to
soldiers wounded in the field.
The "History" section of
the November 2009 edition of National Geographic estimated the number of
purple hearts given. Above the estimates, the text reads, "Any tally of
Purple Hearts is an estimate. Awards are often given during conflict;
records aren't always exact" (page 33). The estimates are as follows:
World War I: 320,518
World War II: 1,076,245
Korean War: 118,650
Vietnam War: 351,794
Persian Gulf War: 607
Afghanistan War: 7,027 (as of 5 June 2010)
Iraq War: 35,321 (as of 5 June 2010)
Criteria
The Purple Heart is
awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of
the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent
authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5,
1917, has been wounded or killed. Specific examples of services which
warrant the Purple Heart include any action against an enemy of the United
States; any action with an opposing armed force of a foreign country in
which the Armed Forces of the United States are or have been engaged; while
serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an
opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party;
as a result of an act of any such enemy of opposing armed forces; or as the
result of an act of any hostile foreign force. After 28 March 1973, as a
result of an international terrorist attack against the United States or a
foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack
by the Secretary of the Army, or jointly by the Secretaries of the separate
armed services concerned if persons from more than one service are wounded
in the attack. After 28 March 1973, as a result of military operations while
serving outside the territory of the United States as part of a peacekeeping
force.
The Purple Heart differs from all other
decorations in that an individual is not "recommended" for the decoration;
rather he or she is entitled to it upon meeting specific criteria. A Purple
Heart is awarded for the first wound suffered under conditions indicated
above, but for each subsequent award an oak leaf cluster is worn in lieu of
the medal. Not more than one award will be made for more than one wound or
injury received at the same instant. A "wound" is defined as an injury to
any part of the body from an outside force or agent sustained under one or
more of the conditions listed above. A physical lesion is not required;
however, the wound for which the award is made must have required treatment
by a medical officer and records of medical treatment for wounds or injuries
received in action must have been made a matter of official record. When
contemplating an award of this decoration, the key issue that commanders
must take into consideration is the degree to which the enemy caused the
injury. The fact that the proposed recipient was participating in direct or
indirect combat operations is a necessary prerequisite, but is not sole
justification for award. The Purple Heart is not awarded for non-combat
injuries.
Enemy-related injuries which justify the award of
the Purple Heart include: injury caused by enemy bullet, shrapnel, or other
projectile created by enemy action; injury caused by enemy placed land mine,
naval mine, or trap; injury caused by enemy released chemical, biological,
or nuclear agent; injury caused by vehicle or aircraft accident resulting
from enemy fire; and, concussion injuries caused as a result of enemy
generated explosions.
Injuries or wounds which
do not qualify for award of the Purple Heart include frostbite or trench
foot injuries; heat stroke; food poisoning not caused by enemy agents;
chemical, biological, or nuclear agents not released by the enemy; battle
fatigue; disease not directly caused by enemy agents; accidents, to include
explosive, aircraft, vehicular, and other accidental wounding not related to
or caused by enemy action; self-inflicted wounds (e.g., a soldier
accidentally fires their own gun and the bullet strikes his or her leg),
except when in the heat of battle, and not involving gross negligence;
post-traumatic stress disorders; and jump injuries not caused by enemy
action.
It is not intended that such a strict
interpretation of the requirement for the wound or injury to be caused by
direct result of hostile action be taken that it would preclude the award
being made to deserving personnel. Commanders must also take into
consideration the circumstances surrounding an injury, even if it appears to
meet the criteria. In the case of an individual injured while making a
parachute landing from an aircraft that had been brought down by enemy fire;
or, an individual injured as a result of a vehicle accident caused by enemy
fire, the decision will be made in favor of the individual and the award
will be made. As well, individuals wounded or killed as a result of
"friendly fire" in the "heat of battle" will be awarded the Purple Heart as
long as the "friendly" projectile or agent was released with the full intent
of inflicting damage or destroying enemy troops or equipment. Individuals
injured as a result of their own negligence, such as by driving or walking
through an unauthorized area known to have been mined or placed off limits
or searching for or picking up unexploded munitions as war souvenirs, will
not be awarded the Purple Heart as they clearly were not injured as a result
of enemy action, but rather by their own negligence.
From 1942 to 1997,
civilians serving or closely affiliated with, the armed forces—as government
employees, Red Cross workers, war correspondents, and the like—were eligible
to receive the Purple Heart. Among the earliest civilians to receive the
award were nine firefighters of the Honolulu Fire Department, killed or
wounded, while fighting fires at Hickam Field during the attack on Pearl
Harbor. About 100 men and women received the award, the most famous being
newspaperman Ernie Pyle, who was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously, by the
Army, after being killed by Japanese machine gun fire in the Pacific
Theater, near the end of World War II. Before his death, Pyle had seen and
experienced combat in the European Theater, while accompanying, and writing
about, infantrymen, for the folks back home.
The most recent Purple
Hearts presented to civilians occurred after the terrorist attacks at Khobar
Towers, Saudi Arabia, in 1996—for their injuries, about 40 U.S. civil
service employees received the award.
However, in 1997, at the
urging of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Congress passed
legislation prohibiting future awards of the Purple Heart to civilians.
Today, the Purple Heart is reserved for men and women in uniform. Civilian
employees of the U.S. Department of Defense who are killed or wounded as a
result of hostile action may receive the new Defense of Freedom Medal. This
award was created shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Appearance
The Purple Heart award is a heart-shaped medal
within a gold border, 1 3/8 inches (35 mm) wide, containing a profile of
General George Washington. Above the heart appears a shield of the coat of
arms of George Washington (a white shield with two red bars and three red
stars in chief) between sprays of green leaves. The reverse consists of a
raised bronze heart with the words FOR MILITARY MERIT below the coat of arms
and leaves. The ribbon is 1 and 3/8 inches (35 mm) wide and consists of the
following stripes: 1/8 inch (3 mm) white 67101; 1 1/8 inches (29 mm) purple
67115; and 1/8 inch (3 mm) white 67101.
Devices
Additional awards of the Purple Heart are denoted
by oak leaf clusters in the Army and Air Force, and additional awards of the
Purple Heart Medal are denoted by 5/16 inch stars in the Navy, Marine Corps,
and Coast Guard.
Presentation
Current active duty personnel are awarded the
Purple Heart upon recommendation from their chain of command, stating the
injury that was received and the action in which the service member was
wounded. The award authority for the Purple Heart is normally at the level
of an Army Brigade, Marine Corps Division, Air Force Wing, or Navy Task
Force. While the award of the Purple Heart is considered automatic for all
wounds received in combat, each award presentation must still be reviewed to
ensure that the wounds received were as a result of enemy action. Modern day
Purple Heart presentations are recorded in both hardcopy and electronic
service records. The annotation of the Purple Heart is denoted both with the
service member's parent command and at the headquarters of the military
service department. An original citation and award certificate are presented
to the service member and filed in the field service record.
During the Vietnam War,
Korean War, and World War II, the Purple Heart was often awarded on the
spot, with occasional entries made into service records. In addition, during
mass demobilizations following each of America's major wars of the 20th
century, it was common occurrence to omit mention from service records of a
Purple Heart award. This occurred due to clerical errors, and became
problematic once a service record was closed upon discharge. In terms of
keeping accurate records, it was commonplace for some field commanders to
engage in bedside presentations of the Purple Heart. This typically entailed
a general entering a hospital with a box of Purple Hearts, pinning them on
the pillows of wounded service members, then departing with no official
records kept of the visit, or the award of the Purple Heart. Service
members, themselves, complicated matters by unofficially leaving hospitals,
hastily returning to their units to rejoin battle so as to not appear a
malingerer. In such cases, even if a service member had received actual
wounds in combat, both the award of the Purple Heart, as well as the entire
visit to the hospital, was unrecorded in official records.
Service members
requesting retroactive awards of the Purple Heart must normally apply
through the National Personnel Records Center. Following a review of service
records, qualified Army members are awarded the Purple Heart by the U.S.
Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Virginia. Air Force veterans are
awarded the Purple Heart by the Awards Office of Randolph Air Force Base,
while Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, present Purple Hearts to veterans
through the Navy Liaison Officer at the National Personnel Records Center.
Simple clerical errors, where a Purple Heart is denoted in military records,
but was simply omitted from a (WD AGO Form 53-55 (predecessor to the) DD
Form 214 (Report of Separation), are corrected on site at the National
Personnel Records Center through issuance of a DD-215 document.
Requests
Because the Purple Heart did not exist prior to
1932, decoration records are not annotated in the service histories of
veterans wounded, or killed, by enemy action, prior to establishment of the
medal. The Purple Heart is, however, retroactive to 1917 meaning it may be
presented to veterans as far back as First World War. Prior to 2006, service
departments would review all available records, including older service
records, and service histories, to determine if a veteran warranted a
retroactive Purple Heart. As of 2008, such records are listed as "Archival",
by the National Archives and Records Administration, meaning they have been
transferred from the custody of the military, and can no longer be loaned
and transferred for retroactive medals determination. In such cases,
requestors asking for a Purple Heart (especially from records of the First
World War) are provided with a complete copy of all available records (or
reconstructed records in the case of the 1973 fire) and advised the Purple
Heart may be privately purchased if the requestor feels it is warranted.
A clause to the archival procedures was revised
in mid-2008, where if a veteran, themselves or (if deceased), an immediate
member of the family, requested the Purple Heart, on an Army or Air Force
record, the medal could still be granted by the National Archives. In such
cases, where a determination was required made by the military service
department, photocopies of the archival record, (but not the record itself),
would be forwarded to the headquarters of the military branch in question.
This stipulation was granted only for the Air Force and Army; Marine Corps,
Navy, and Coast Guard archival medals requests are still typically only
offered a copy of the file and told to purchase the medal privately. For
requests directly received from veterans, these are routed through a Navy
Liaison Office, on site at 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 (the
location of the Military Personnel Records Center).
Due to the 1973 National
Archives Fire, a large number of retroactive Purple Heart requests are
difficult to verify because all records to substantiate the award may have
been destroyed. As a solution to deal with Purple Heart requests, where
service records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, the National Personnel
Records Center maintains a separate office. In such cases, NPRC searches
through unit records, military pay records, and records of the Department of
Veterans Affairs. If a Purple Heart is warranted, all available alternate
records sources are forwarded to the military service department for final
determination of issuance.
The loaning of fire related records to the
military has declined since 2006, because a large number of such records now
fall into the "archival records" category of military service records. This
means the records were transferred from the military to the National
Archives, and in such cases, the Purple Heart may be privately purchased by
the requestor (see above section of retroactive requests for further
details) but is no longer provided by the military service department.
Notable recipients
James Arness, actor
Manny Babbitt, convicted murderer
Peter Badcoe, Victoria Cross recipient
Rocky Bleier, football player
Charles Bronson, actor
J. Herbert Burke, U.S. Representative from
Florida
Llewellyn
Chilson, U.S. Army
Wesley Clark, former SACEUR
Cordelia E Cook, first woman to receive both the
Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart
Steponas Darius, aviator
Charles Durning, actor
Dale Dye, actor
Samuel Fuller, director
James Garner, actor
Salvatore Giunta, Medal of Honor, Afghanistan
War.
Joe Haldeman,
writer
Carlos
Hathcock, United States Marine Corps
Charles Franklin Hildebrand, journalist and
publisher
James
Jones, writer
John
F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States
John Kerry, United States Secretary of State
Ron Kovic, writer
Chris Kyle, U.S Navy
Robert Leckie U.S. Marine
Victor Maghakian, also known as Captain Victor
"Transport" Maghakian
Lee Marvin, actor
John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona
Audie Murphy, actor
Robert M. Polich, Sr., pilot, featured in
Minnesotas Greatest Generation (2008) short Film Festival
Colin Powell, General, former United States
Secretary of State.
Charles P. Roland, American historian
Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., Commanding General of
allied forces during Desert Storm
Rod Serling, American screenwriter
Eric Shinseki, former Army Chief of Staff and
Secretary of the Veterans Administration
W. E. "Pete" Snelson, American politician
Warren Spahn, baseball player
Oliver Stone, director
Sergeant Stubby, war dog
Bruce Sundlun, former Governor of Rhode Island.
Pat Tillman, football player
Gilbert R. Tredway, American historian
Matt Urban, infantry officer
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., writer
Richard Winters, Major
Chuck Yeager, Brigadier General
Most Purple Heart awards
The most Purple Hearts
awarded to a single individual is nine. Marine Sgt. Albert L. Ireland holds
that distinction, being awarded five Purple Heart Medals in World War II and
four more in the Korean War. Seven soldiers, including two Medal of Honor
recipients, were awarded eight Purple Hearts:
Richard J. Buck: Four
awards, Korean War / Four awards, Vietnam War
Robert T. Frederick: Eight awards, World War II
David H. Hackworth: Three awards, Korean War /
Five awards in the Vietnam War
Joe Hooper: Eight awards, Vietnam War
Robert L. Howard: Eight awards, Vietnam War
William Waugh: Eight awards, Vietnam War
In May 2006, a soldier
made national headlines after giving his Purple Heart to a girl who had
written many letters to troops.
In May 2007, Vietnam
veteran Jerrell Hudman announced that he planned to give one of his three
Purple Hearts to George, a Jack Russell terrier. George died from injuries
sustained when he saved a group of five children from being mauled by two
pit bull terriers in New Zealand.
AFGHANISTAN
"Operation Enduring
Freedom" (OEF) is the official name used by the U.S. government for the War
in Afghanistan, together with a number of smaller military actions, under
the umbrella of the Global "War on Terror" (GWOT).
The operation was
originally called "Operation Infinite Justice" (often misquoted as
"Operation Ultimate Justice"), but as similar phrases have been used by
adherents of several religions as an exclusive description of God, it is
believed to have been changed to avoid offense to Muslims, who are the
majority religion in Afghanistan. U.S. President George W. Bush's remark
that "this crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while", which
prompted widespread criticism from the Islamic world, may also have
contributed to the renaming of the operation.
The Operation comprises
several subordinate operations:
Operation Enduring
Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A)
Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines (OEF-P,
formerly Operation Freedom Eagle)
Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa
(OEF-HOA)
Operation Enduring Freedom – Pankisi Gorge (completed in 2004)
Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara
(OEF-TS; see also Insurgency in the Maghreb)
Operation Enduring Freedom – Caribbean and
Central America (OEF-CCA)
The term "OEF" typically refers to the war in
Afghanistan. Other operations, such as the Georgia Train and Equip Program,
are only loosely or nominally connected to OEF, such as through government
funding vehicles. All the operations, however, have a focus on
counterterrorism activities.
Operation Enduring
Freedom – Afghanistan, which is a joint U.S., U.K. and Afghan operation, is
separate from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is
an operation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations including the
U.S. and U.K. The two operations run in parallel, and although it has been
intended that they merge for some time, this has not yet happened.
Overview
In response to the attacks of 11 September, the
early combat operations that took place on 7 October 2001 to include a mix
of strikes from land-based B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress
bombers, carrier-based F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet fighters, and Tomahawk
cruise missiles launched from both U.S. and British ships and submarines
signaled the start of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A).
The initial military
objectives of OEF-A, as articulated by Former President George W. Bush in
his 20 September Address to a Joint Session of Congress and his 7 October
address to the country, included the destruction of terrorist training camps
and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al-Qaeda leaders, and
the cessation of terrorist activities in Afghanistan."
In January 2002, over
1,200 soldiers from the United States Special Operations Command Pacific
(SOCPAC) deployed to the Philippines to support the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) in their push to uproot terrorist forces on the island of
Basilan. Of those groups included are Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), al-Qaeda and
Jemaah Islamiyah.The operation consisted of training the AFP in
counter-terrorist operations as well as supporting the local people with
humanitarian aid in Operation Smiles.
In October 2002, the
Combined Task Force 150 and United States military Special Forces
established themselves in Djibouti at Camp Lemonnier. The stated goals of
the operation were to provide humanitarian aid and patrol the Horn of Africa
to reduce the abilities of terrorist organizations in the region. Similar to
OEF-P, the goal of humanitarian aid was emphasised, ostensibly to prevent
militant organizations from being able to take hold amongst the population
as well as reemerge after being removed.
The military aspect
involves coalition forces searching and boarding ships entering the region
for illegal cargo as well as providing training and equipment to the armed
forces in the region. The humanitarian aspect involves building schools,
clinics and water wells to enforce the confidence of the local people.
Since 2001, the
cumulative expenditure by the U.S. government on Operation Enduring Freedom
has exceeded $150 billion.
The operation continues,
with military direction mostly coming from United States Central Command.
Operation Enduring
Freedom – Afghanistan (OEF-A)
The Taliban
Seizing upon a power vacuum after the Soviets
withdrew from Afghanistan after their invasion, the Taliban assumed the role
of government from 1996–2001. Their extreme interpretation of Islamic law
prompted them to ban music, television, sports, and dancing, and enforce
harsh judicial penalties (See Human rights in Afghanistan). Amputation was
an accepted form of punishment for stealing, and public executions could
often be seen at the Kabul football stadium. Women's rights groups around
the world were frequently critical as the Taliban banned women from
appearing in public or holding many jobs outside the home. They drew further
criticism when they destroyed the Buddhas of Bamyan, historical statues
nearly 1500 years old, because the Buddhas were considered idols.
In 1996, Saudi dissident
Osama bin Laden moved to Afghanistan upon the invitation of the Northern
Alliance leader Abdur Rabb ur Rasool Sayyaf. When the Taliban came to power,
bin Laden was able to forge an alliance between the Taliban and his al-Qaeda
organization. It is understood that al-Qaeda-trained fighters known as the
055 Brigade were integrated with the Taliban army between 1997 and 2001. It
has been suggested that the Taliban and bin Laden had very close
connections.
U.S.-led coalition action
Main article: War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
On 20 September 2001, the U.S. stated that Osama
bin Laden was behind the 11 September attacks in 2001. The U.S. made a five
point ultimatum to the Taliban:.
Deliver to the U.S. all
of the leaders of al-Qaeda
Release all imprisoned foreign nationals
Close immediately every terrorist training camp
Hand over every terrorist and their supporters to
appropriate authorities
Give the United States full access to terrorist
training camps for inspection
On 21 September 2001, the Taliban rejected this
ultimatum, stating there was no evidence in their possession linking bin
Laden to the 11 September attacks.
On 22 September 2001 the
United Arab Emirates and later Saudi Arabia withdrew their recognition of
the Taliban as the legal government of Afghanistan, leaving neighboring
Pakistan as the only remaining country with diplomatic ties.
On 4 October 2001, it is
believed that the Taliban covertly offered to turn bin Laden over to
Pakistan for trial in an international tribunal that operated according to
Islamic shar'ia law. On 7 October 2001, the Taliban proposed to try bin
Laden in Afghanistan in an Islamic court. This proposition was immediately
rejected by the U.S. Shortly afterward, the same day, United States and
British forces initiated military action against the Taliban, bombing
Taliban forces and al-Qaeda terrorist training camps.
On 14 October 2001, the
Taliban proposed to hand bin Laden over to a third country for trial, but
only if they were given evidence of bin Laden's involvement in the events of
11 September 2001. The U.S. rejected this proposal and ensued with military
operations.
The UN Security Council, on 16 January 2002,
unanimously established an arms embargo and the freezing of identifiable
assets belonging to bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining Taliban.
Combat operations start
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and removed. (February 2012)
5-country multinational fleet, during "Operation
Enduring Freedom" in the Oman Sea. In four descending columns, from left to
right: MM Maestrale (F 570), De Grasse (D 612); USS John C. Stennis (CVN
74), Charles De Gaulle (R 91), Surcouf (F 711); USS Port Royal (CG-73), HMS
Ocean (L 12), USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 67), HNLMS Van Amstel (F 831); and MM
Durand de la Penne (D 560).
On Sunday 7 October 2001, American and British
forces began an aerial bombing campaign targeting Taliban forces and
al-Qaeda.
The Northern Alliance, aided by Joint Special
Operations teams consisting of Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces
Group, aircrew members from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
(SOAR), and Air Force Combat Controllers, fought against the Taliban. Aided
by U.S. bombing and massive defections, they captured Mazari Sharif on 9
November. They then rapidly gained control of most of northern Afghanistan,
and took control of Kabul on 13 November after the Taliban unexpectedly fled
the city. The Taliban were restricted to a smaller and smaller region, with
Kunduz, the last Taliban-held city in the north, captured on 26 November.
Most of the Taliban fled to Pakistan.
The war continued in the
south of the country, where the Taliban retreated to Kandahar. After
Kandahar fell in December, remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda continued to
mount resistance. Meanwhile, in November 2001 the U.S. military and its
allied forces established their first ground base in Afghanistan to the
south west of Kandahar, known as FOB Rhino.
The Battle of Tora Bora,
involving U.S., British and Northern Alliance forces took place in December
2001 to further destroy the Taliban and suspected al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
In early March 2002 the United States military, along with allied Afghan
military forces, conducted a large operation to destroy al-Qaeda in an
operation code-named Operation Anaconda.
The operation was
carried out by elements of the United States 10th Mountain Division, 101st
Airborne Division, the U.S. special forces groups TF 11, TF Bowie, TF
Dagger, TF K-Bar, British Royal Marines, the Norwegian Forsvarets
Spesialkommando (FSK), Hærens Jegerkommando and Marinejegerkommandoen,
Canada's 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Canada's
Joint Task Force 2, the German KSK, and elements of the Australian Special
Air Service Regiment and of the New Zealand Special Air Service and the
Afghan National Army.
After managing to evade
U.S. forces throughout the summer of 2002, the remnants of the Taliban
gradually began to regain their confidence. A U.S. and Canadian led
operation (supported by British and Dutch forces), Operation Mountain Thrust
was launched in May 2006 to counter renewed Taliban insurgency.
Since January 2006, the
NATO International Security Assistance Force undertook combat duties from
Operation Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan, the NATO force chiefly
made up of British, Canadian and Dutch forces (and some smaller
contributions from Denmark, Romania and Estonia and air support from Norway
as well as air and artillery support from the U.S.) (see the article
Coalition combat operations in Afghanistan in 2006). The United States
military also conducts military operations separate from NATO as part of
Operation Enduring Freedom in other parts of Afghanistan, in areas such as
Kandahar, Bagram, and Kabul (including Camp Eggers and Camp Phoenix.)
International support
Main article: Operation Enduring Freedom -
Afghanistan: Allies
The United States was supported by several
nations during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan in 2001–2003
and in subsequent coalition operations directly or indirectly in support of
OEF. See the article Afghanistan War order of battle for the current
disposition of coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Result
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The U.S.-led coalition initially removed the
Taliban from power and seriously crippled al-Qaeda and associated militants
in Afghanistan. However, since the 2001 invasion success in quelling the
Taliban insurgency has been mixed. Many believe the Taliban cannot be
defeated as long as it has sanctuary in neighboring Pakistan and that
Operation Enduring Freedom has transformed into a continuing full-fledged
war with no end in sight.
On 9 October 2004,
Afghanistan elected Hamid Karzai president in its first direct elections.
The following year, Afghans conducted the Afghan parliamentary election,
2005 on 18 September. Since the invasion, hundreds of schools and mosques
have been constructed, millions of dollars in aid have been distributed, and
the occurrence of violence has been reduced.
While military forces
interdict insurgents and assure security, Provincial reconstruction teams
are tasked with infrastructure building, such as constructing roads and
bridges, assisting during floods, and providing food and water to refugees.
Many warlords have participated in an allegiance program, recognizing the
legitimacy of the government of Afghanistan, and surrendering their soldiers
and weapons; however, subsequent actions have led to questions about their
true loyalties.
The Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police,
and Afghan Border Police are being trained to assume the task of securing
their nation.
Criticism
Main article: Criticism of the War on Terror
AFP, reporting on a news story in the Sunday, 3
April 2004, issue of The New Yorker, wrote that retired Army Colonel Hy
Rothstein, "who served in the Army Special Forces for more than 20 years,
...commissioned by The Pentagon to examine the war in Afghanistan concluded
the conflict created conditions that have given 'warlordism, banditry and
opium production a new lease on life'..."
The conduct of U.S.
forces was criticised in a report entitled Enduring Freedom – Abuses by U.S.
Forces in Afghanistan by U.S.-based human rights group Human Rights Watch in
2004. Some Pakistani scholars, such as Masood Ashraf Raja, editor of
Pakistaniaat, have also provided a more specific form of criticism that
relates to the consequences of war on terror on the region.
Operation Enduring
Freedom – Philippines (OEF-P)
Main article: Operation Enduring Freedom -
Philippines
Abu
Sayyaf Group
Main
article: Abu Sayyaf
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reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(February 2012)
The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) Al Harakat Al Islamiyya, is deemed a "foreign
terrorist organization" by the United States government. Specifically, it is
an Islamist separatist group based in and around the southern islands of the
Republic of the Philippines, primarily Jolo, Basilan, and Mindanao.
Since inception in the
early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, assassinations,
kidnappings, and extortion in their fight for an independent Islamic state
in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. Its claimed overarching goal
is to create a Pan-Islamic superstate across the Malay portions of Southeast
Asia, spanning, from east to west, the large island of Mindanao, the Sulu
Archipelago (Basilan and Jolo islands), the large island of Borneo (Malaysia
and Indonesia), the South China Sea, and the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular
Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar).
Jemaah Islamiyah
Main article: Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah is a militant Islamic terrorist
organization dedicated to the establishment of a fundamentalist Islamic
theocracy in Southeast Asia, in particular Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei,
Malaysia, the south of Thailand and the Philippines.
Financial links between
Jemaah Islamiyah and other terrorist groups, such as Abu Sayyaf and
al-Qaeda, have been found to exist. Jemaah Islamiyah means "Islamic Group"
or "Islamic Community" and is often abbreviated JI.
Jemaah Islamiyah is
thought to have killed hundreds of civilians. Also, it is suspected of
carrying out the Bali car bombing on 12 October 2002, in which suicide
bombers attacked a nightclub killing 202 people and wounding many more. Most
of the casualties were Australian tourists. After this attack, the U.S.
State Department designated Jemaah Islamiyah as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization. Jemaah Islamiyah is also suspected of carrying out the
Zamboanga bombings, the Metro Manila bombings, the 2004 Australian embassy
bombing and the 2005 Bali terrorist bombing.
U.S. action
In January 2002, 1,200 members of United States
Special Operations Command, Pacific (SOCPAC) were deployed to the
Philippines to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in uprooting
al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf. The members of SOCPAC were
assigned to assist in military operations against the terrorist forces as
well as humanitarian operations for the island of Basilan, where most of the
conflict was expected to take place.
The United States
Special Forces (SF) unit trained and equipped special forces and scout
rangers of the AFP, creating the Light Reaction Company (LRC). The LRC and
elements of SOCPAC deployed to Basilan on completion of their training. The
stated goals of the deployment were denying the ASG sanctuary, surveiling,
controlling, and denying ASG routes, surveiling supporting villages and key
personnel, conducting local training to overcome AFP weaknesses and sustain
AFP strengths, supporting operations by the AFP "strike force" (LRC) in the
area of responsibility (AOR), conducting and supporting civil affairs
operations in the AOR.
Result
The desired result was for the AFP to gain
sufficient capability to locate and destroy the ASG, to recover hostages and
to enhance the legitimacy of the Philippine government. Much of the
operation was a success: the ASG was driven from Basilan and one U.S.
hostage was recovered. The Abu Sayyaf Group's ranks, which once counted more
than 800 members, was reduced to less than 100. The humanitarian portion of
the operation, Operation Smiles, created 14 schools, 7 clinics, 3 hospitals
and provided medical care to over 18,000 residents of Basilan. Humanitarian
groups were able to continue their work without fear of further kidnappings
and terrorists attacks by the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Operation Enduring
Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA)
Main article: Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn
of Africa
Unlike
other operations contained in Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF-HOA does not
have a specific terrorist organization as a target. OEF-HOA instead focuses
its efforts to disrupt and detect terrorist activities in the region and to
work with host nations to deny the reemergence of terrorist cells and
activities. Operations began in mid-2002 at Camp Lemonier by a Combined
Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF) augmented by support forces
from Fort Stewart, Fort Hood, and Fort Story. In October 2002, the Combined
Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) was established at Djibouti at
Camp Lemonier, taking over responsibilities from the CJSOTF. CJTF-HOA
comprised approximately 2,000 personnel including U.S. military and Special
Operations Forces (SOF), and coalition force members, Combined Task Force
150 (CTF-150). The coalition force consists of ships from Australia, Canada,
France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey
and the United Kingdom. The primary goal of the coalition forces is to
monitor, inspect, board and stop suspected shipments from entering the Horn
of Africa region.
CJTF-HOA has devoted the majority of its efforts
to train selected armed forces units of the countries of Djibouti, Kenya and
Ethiopia in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency tactics. Humanitarian
efforts conducted by CJTF-HOA include the rebuilding of schools and medical
clinics, as well as providing medical services to those countries whose
forces are being trained. The program expands as part of the Trans-Saharan
Counter Terrorism Initiative as CJTF personnel also assist in training the
forces of Chad, Niger, Mauritania and Mali.
U.S. action
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Anti-piracy operations were undertaken by the
coalition throughout 2006 with a battle fought in March when U.S. vessels
were attacked by pirates. In January 2007, during the war in Somalia, an
AC-130 airstrike was conducted against al-Qaeda members embedded with forces
of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) operating in southern Somalia near Ras
Kamboni. U.S. naval forces, including the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D.
Eisenhower, were positioned off the coast of Somalia to provide support and
to prevent any al-Qaeda forces escaping by sea. Actions against pirates also
occurred in June and October 2007 with varying amounts of success.
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