America’s ‘forever war’ in Afghanistan began weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks and lasted nearly 20 years, ending in the chaos of Aug. 15, 2021, when the Taliban retook the capital, Kabul. Journalists for The New York Times covered the conflict from beginning to end, capturing the lives of Afghan people navigating a scarred landscape and uncertain future. The War Begins Operation Enduring Freedom launched on Oct. 7, 2001, with American bombing campaigns against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Special Operations forces linked up with Afghan militias, mainly the Northern Alliance, to drive the Taliban from power. Kabul and the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar fell in mid-November. In December, Osama bin Laden escaped to Pakistan through the mountains around Tora Bora, and an interim Afghan government led by Hamid Karzai was installed.

Drift to Iraq Even with a major reconstruction effort and about 8,000 American troops in place, the Bush administration shifted combat resources to the war in Iraq. The Taliban-led insurgency grew stronger in 2006, carrying out more ambushes and suicide bombings. Despite training and equipment supplied by the United States and allied forces, Afghan security forces could not contain the resurgence, aided by militants across the border in Pakistan.

By 2007, the number of American troops in Afghanistan had climbed to 25,000. Recommitment and Surge In February 2009, President Barack Obama declared a recommitment and deployed 17,000 more troops, adding to the 36,000 already there. His plan included sending 30,000 more, bringing the total to nearly 100,000 by mid-2010.

A Troop Drawdown In May 2011, a U.S. Navy SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June, Obama announced he would pull 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by mid-2012. On the battlefield, Afghan security forces increasingly struggled against the Taliban, taking heavy casualties and losing territory.

A Taliban Resurgence On Dec. 31, 2014, the combat mission formally ended, but the American military presence did not. Mr. Obama announced a timetable for withdrawal by the end of 2016. After a 2014 election marred by fraud, Ashraf Ghani became president, signing a power-sharing agreement with opponent Abdullah Abdullah. In August 2017, President Trump said he would continue to prosecute the war.

A Deal With the Taliban In late 2018, American and Taliban negotiators began holding peace talks in Doha, Qatar. The Afghan government was excluded; the Taliban refused to meet with its officials. On Feb. 29, 2020, the United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban, opening the door to a gradual, final troop withdrawal and the beginning of direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban to determine the country’s future.

About 12,000 American troops were still in the country when the Taliban returned.