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Operation Enduring Freedom: A look back in photos

With the curtain coming down on combat operations, Stars and Stripes is looking back at the U.S. troops who have fought in the war, what they encountered, and how they coped. We present three photo galleries featuring the work of our photographers and reporters who have covered the war in Afghanistan.

 

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US forces pack up
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, left, and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Afghanistan's shaky unity national government approaches its 2nd anniversary

President Ashraf Ghani and his aides hope to prove that Kabul deserves the trust of a skeptical world community that has paid Afghanistan's bills for the past 14 years.

 

Reports from SIGAR
Afghan police soldiers train in Lashkargah, capital of southern Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 24, 2016. The Taliban took control of a Helmand after heavy fighting that killed or wounded up to 20 police officers, an Afghan official said on Saturday, July 30.<br>Abdul Khaliq/AP

Heavy fighting as Taliban try to overrun Afghan district

Afghan security forces backed by international troops were battling for control of an important district in southern Helmand province on Saturday, a day after it was announced the government had lost five percent of its territory to insurgents in recent months, officials said.

Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to provide independent and objective oversight of Afghanistan reconstruction projects and activities.

 

Election coverage
Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah scramble to grab campaign posters and signs before a rally in Panjshir province. The candidate found a frenzied welcome in the fabled Panjshir Valley, where he has a strong base of support.<br> Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes

VIDEO

Politics in Panjshir: Life on the Afghan campaign trail

As Afghanistan's presidential election entered its final week, fears of violence and corruption concerns didn't stop Afghans from reveling in what would be the country's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power.

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, left, and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Afghanistan's shaky unity national government approaches its 2nd anniversary

President Ashraf Ghani and his aides hope to prove that Kabul deserves the trust of a skeptical world community that has paid Afghanistan's bills for the past 14 years.

In this Jan. 27, 2015 file photo, President Barack Obama participates in a receiving line with the Saudi Arabian King, Salman bin Abdul Aziz, at Erga Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and its allies are warning that legislation allowing the kingdom to be sued for the 9/11 attacks will have negative repercussions. The kingdom maintains an arsenal of tools to retaliate with, including curtailing official contacts, pulling billions of dollars from the U.S. economy, and enlisting its lockstep Gulf allies to scale back counterterrorism cooperation, investments and U.S. access to important regional air bases. <br>Carolyn Kaster/AP

Saudi Arabia has ways to hit back at 9/11 lawsuit effort

Saudi Arabia and its allies are warning that U.S. legislation allowing the kingdom to be sued for the 9/11 attacks will have negative repercussions.

US, Afghans investigating if airstrike hit civilians

The strike came days after Afghan officials accused U.S. forces of killing eight police officers in two airstrikes on a checkpoint in the central province of Uruzgan.

Afghan children who fled their homes in eastern Nangarhar province, following threats from the Islamic State, are shown at a temporary shelter in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in 2015.<br>Noorullah Shirzada/AFP-Getty Images

From the Taliban frying pan to the Islamic State fire

The life a group of women described in Islamic State-controlled areas of Nangarhar was so bad they sounded almost nostalgic for those earlier years spent under the Taliban's thumb.

Afghan troops fire rockets at Taliban positions during the battle to clear militants from Kunduz city in October 2015. At least 12 Afghan soldiers were killed after being drugged at a checkpoint near the capital of northern Kunduz province overnight, an official said Tuesday, in what appeared to be an insider attack. <br>Stars and Stripes

12 Afghan soldiers in Kunduz killed in apparent insider attack

At least 12 Afghan soldiers were killed after being drugged at a checkpoint near the capital of northern Kunduz province overnight, an official said Tuesday, in what appeared to be an insider attack.

Afghan commandos free captives during raid on Taliban prison

Afghan security forces on Sunday liberated 101 people held in a Taliban prison in southern Helmand province, officials said.

Afghan refugee children play outside a mud hut in an encampment outside Islamabad, Pakistan, on Sept. 18.<br>Pam Constable/ The Washington Post

After a lifetime in Pakistan, Afghans are told to go

In the past year, more than 250,000 undocumented Afghan refugees have returned to their impoverished, insurgent-plagued country under pressure from Pakistani authorities.

Gen. John Nicholson attends a briefing at the Pentagon, Sep. 23, 2016<br>Tim D. Godbee/U.S. Navy

Pentagon: US-backed operations killed 12 Islamic State leaders in Afghanistan

The top 12 leaders of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan have been killed this summer during an American-backed Afghan special operations offensive in the country’s eastern region, the top American commander for Afghanistan said.

In an Aug. 14, 2016 file photo, U.S Army Soldiers with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Strike, execute a fire mission in northern Iraq during an operation to support the Iraqi army.<br>Daniel I Johnson/U.S. Army

US forces are using white phosphorus munitions in Iraq, but it's unclear exactly how

U.S. forces are using white phosphorus munitions in their fight against the Islamic State, based on pictures and videos posted online by the Pentagon, but it is unclear exactly how the controversial armament is being employed.

Peace with infamous Afghan warlord seen as signal to Taliban

In making peace with one of Afghanistan's most infamous warlords and a U.S.-designated terrorist, President Ashraf Ghani is hoping to edge the Taliban closer to the negotiating table in a bid to end its 15-year conflict.

Canada's first Afghan minister now says she was born in Iran

A Canadian lawmaker touted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada's first Afghan-born cabinet minister said Thursday she recently learned from her mother that she was born in Iran.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani gestures during a White House press conference in March 2015. Afghan officials signed a peace agreement Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, with representatives of Hezb-e-Islami, Afghanistan’s second-largest insurgent group, led by an Islamist warlord and U.S.-designated “global terrorist.”<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Afghan government inks peace deal with insurgent leader Hekmatyar

Afghan officials signed a peace agreement Thursday with representatives of Hezb-e-Islami, Afghanistan’s second-largest insurgent group, led by an Islamist warlord and U.S.-designated “global terrorist.”

Flags fly on top of homes in Uruzgan, Afghanistan, signaling that Afghan National Security Forces have cleared the area of insurgents and weapons during Operation Chamtoo in December 2013. The Afghan government will investigate a series of U.S. airstrikes that apparently killed eight people in the region over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. <br>Courtesy 205th Corps Public Affairs

Afghanistan investigating US airstrikes that allegedly killed 8

The Afghan government will investigate a series of U.S. airstrikes that apparently killed eight people over the weekend, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

A member of the Afghan police departs a military checkpoint in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, in March 2012. U.S. airstrikes in Uruzgan province in central Afghanistan killed eight Afghan police officers, an Afghan official said Monday, Sept. 19, 2016. U.S. officials said strikes were carried out in response to an “immediate threat.”<br>Matthew Leistikow/U.S. Navy

US airstrikes kill 8 Afghan police, officials say

U.S. airstrikes in Uruzgan province in central Afghanistan killed eight Afghan police officers, an Afghan official said Monday. U.S. officials said strikes were carried out in response to an “immediate threat.”

Airmen patrol the flightline perimeter, June 27, 2016, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. <br>Justyn M. Freeman/U.S. Air Force

Study: America's wars in Middle East have cost nearly $4.8 trillion

A new study has estimated the cost of America’s wars since September 2001 are about $4.79 trillion, a figure that researchers said will go higher based on current operations and future interest obligations.


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