ABSTRACT
The goals of “Enduring Freedom” were to bring al-Qaeda’s leaders to justice, destroy al-Qaeda as an organization, and remove the Taliban regime. The largest tactical challenge was that Taliban warriors had sanctuaries just across border in Pakistan, because the people in that region of Pakistan were their ethnic kin. The largest tactical challenge was that Taliban warriors had sanctuaries just across border in Pakistan, because the people in that region of Pakistan were their ethnic kin. A “Coalition Provisional Authority” (CPA) ran the country under the direct control of the US Department of Defense from late April 2003 until June 2004. The CPA’s first act was to dismantle the Baath Party apparatus and structure that had played a major role in oppressing Iraqis, and it also formally disbanded the Iraqi army. After 2008, members of Hamas and other Gaza militants continued to shoot Qassam rockets into Israel, and Israel responded with shelling and airstrikes.
