Not only Americans risked life and limb to serve in Afghanistan

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 4 min read 100% complete January 23, 2026 at 08:02 PM

AI Summary

medium article 4 min

Between 2001 and 2021, numerous countries deployed military personnel and civilians to Afghanistan following the U.S. invocation of NATO's Article 5 after the 9/11 attacks. This marked the only time in NATO's history that the article, which states an attack on one member is an attack on all, was invoked. The initial goal was to dismantle al-Qaeda, sheltered by the Taliban, who claimed responsibility for the attacks. While the Taliban were quickly removed from power, the hunt for al-Qaeda continued, with many escaping to Pakistan. Although the first two years were relatively calm, the situation became increasingly dangerous, with troops from various nations facing ambushes and attacks, even as U.S. attention shifted to Iraq.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Camp Bastion 40% Northern Alliance 50% Kabul 50% Pakistan ×260% Kandahar ×260% Osama Bin Laden 70% North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ×270% Frank Gardner 70% Al-Qaeda ×480% Taliban ×490% United States ×590% Afghanistan ×6100%

Keywords

afghanistan 100% taliban 90% us military 70% al-qaeda 60% operation enduring freedom 60% nato article 5 60% 9/11 attacks 50% ieds 50% pakistan 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Afghanistan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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afghanistan taliban us military al-qaeda operation enduring freedom nato article 5 9/11 attacks ieds pakistan

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