THE WAR ON TERROR 2001- PRESENT DAY

After the 9/11 terror attacks, Navy SEAL teams were sent into Afghanistan in late 2001 to bring the groups responsible to justice

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In the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks, US President George W Bush addressed Congress on the 20th and declared a “war on terror”. He accused al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden of orchestrating the attacks and offered a five point ultimatum to the Taliban to deal with the perpetrators. The United States Special Operation Command (USSOCOM) mobilised a number of special forces units into the Gulf to start operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and among them was at least seven Navy SEAL platoons from SEAL Teams 2, 3 and 8.

The SEALs purpose in the region was to disrupt the day-to-day operations of al-Qaeda, collecting intelligence and searching cave complexes for supplies and weapons caches. In January 2002 a cave complex in Zhawar Kili close to the Pakistani border was discovered to contain huge quantities of ammunition and equipment, and SEALs were supported by US Marines in exploring and securing the caves. During their search they uncovered classrooms, living quarters and a hospital, the caves similar to the tunnel systems used by the Viet Cong in Vietnam. As well as recon and search-and-destroy missions, SEALs were also involved in a series of pitched battles during the fight against terrorism, known as Operation Enduring Freedom.