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The War on Terrorism
After the attacks on New York and Washington, the Bush administration took strong action that was unparalleled in American history since the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that forced the United States into World War II. He promised a War on Terrorism and vowed to punish terrorists and the countries who supported them. It soon became evident that Osama Bin Laden and his followers, the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, were responsible for the attacks. The al-Qaeda terrorists operated from remote locations in Afghanistan. When Afghanistan�s ruling Taliban government refused to surrender the al-Qaeda leaders, they became Bush�s first target. The United States used massive air power and around-the-clock bombing against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces. At the same time, Afghan Northern Alliance rebels attacked Taliban strongholds. The Taliban were soon driven from power. Following the Taliban's defeat came the difficult task of forming a new coalition government of Afghan tribal leaders, supported by the United States and its allies. Meanwhile, bombing continued of al-Qaeda hideouts and elite ground troops from different branches of the U.S. military forces began searching the mountainous regions of Afghanistan, looking for and either killing or capturing terrorists associated with Bin Laden. At this time, Bin Laden and other senior members of al-Qaeda have not been found. Soon after the September 11th attacks, letters contaminated with the deadly bacteria anthrax were sent to some members of Congress and some news organizations. A handful of people died as a result of their exposure to the contaminated letters. Many more persons had to take antibiotics to counteract possible effects of exposure and the U.S. Postal Service was severely disrupted. The perpetrators of these acts have not yet been found. These acts have caused additional fears about possible chemical or biological terrorist actions in the future. As a result of these terrorist actions, President Bush formed the Office of Homeland Security. This office was given the responsibility to formulate ways to protect the United States from future attacks. In addition, Bush proposed that the FBI and CIA be given additional powers to deal with potential terrorists. In response to these proposals, the U.S. Congress passed the USA Patriot Act. While most Americans agreed with the need to address possible threats from terrorists, some questioned the impact these actions would have on individual freedoms in our country. Early in 2003 the United States attacked Iraq in a continuation of the war on terrorism. President Bush maintained that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had failed to comply with U.N. restrictions on the development of weapons of mass destruction and that the Iraqi government was also linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist movement. United States and British troops made a quick and decisive strike in Iraq. The troops encountered brief, fierce resistance as they moved swiftly inland from the northern and southern borders. By the end of April, United States had entered the capital city of Baghdad and the Iraqi military collapsed. In May President Bush declared "the end of major, combat operations in Iraq." Saddam Hussein was captured by United States troops on December 13, 2003. Troops from numerous countries joined the United States to form a coalition to govern Iraq, attempt to establish normal, daily life in the country and to prepare Iraq for the formation of a democratic government. During 2004 Iraqi insurgents continued to battle coalition troops, attack other Iraqis and destroy valuable resources, such as oil pipelines. In late June of 2004, the United States turned over the governance of the country back to the Iraqis. However, United States troops continue to patrol the country to maintain order and it is unclear how long our troops will have to stay in Iraq. By the end of 2008, more than 4,000 United States soldiers had died in the fighting in Iraq.
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