Operation Enduring Freedom — US Invades Afghanistan; Taliban Falls in 9 Weeks

The United States and coalition partners launched air strikes and ground operations in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, targeting Taliban government forces and al-Qaeda training camps. The Taliban regime collapsed by December 2001. However, Osama bin Laden escaped at Tora Bora in December 2001, and the war would last 20 years — America's longest, with over 2,400 US troops killed and $2.3 trillion spent before the 2021 withdrawal.