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Article: The new Afghanistan: a year and a half after the first US air raids on Afghanistan, a better picture of what the war did--or did not--achieve has emerged. (Current Affairs).
- Article from:
- The Middle East
- Article date:
- July 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 IC Publications Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In October 2001, the United States and its allies fired their first shot in what promised to be a prolonged War on Terror, by launching air attacks on the ancient nation of Afghanistan.
The country's Taliban leadership collapsed and fled. They left, in their place, a power vacuum Washington attempted to fill by installing Hamid Karzai as president; a choice, the US claimed, that had the popular support of the Afghan people.
Afghanistan was no longer the safe haven it had been for groups such as Al Qaeda, and with a new regime in place, Washington claimed its campaign a success.
With Soviet defeat still fresh in the memory, the swiftness of ...