---
title: "Afghanistan 2001: US-Led Invasion Overview | Model Diplomat"
description: "Afghanistan 2001 refers to the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban after the September 11 attacks, launched under Operation Enduring Freedom."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/afghanistan-2001"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Afghanistan 2001 refers to the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban regime following the September 11 attacks, launched under Operation Enduring Freedom on 7 October 2001.
- What was the legal basis for the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan?
- What was the Bonn Agreement of 2001?
- What was the significance of NATO's response to 9/11?
- How did the 2001 intervention conclude?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 7 October 2001

   Afghanistan 2001 refers to the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban regime following the September 11 attacks, launched under Operation Enduring Freedom…

2. 11 September 2001

   Afghanistan 2001 denotes the military intervention by the United States and its allies that began on 7 October 2001, codenamed Operation Enduring Freedom, wh…

3. 14 September 2001

   The legal architecture rested on the US Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by Congress on , and on the principle of self-defence under Ar…

4. 12 September 2001

   The UN Security Council had affirmed this right in Resolutions 1368 () and 1373 (28 September 2001), the latter establishing binding counter-terrorism obliga…

5. 28 September 2001

   The UN Security Council had affirmed this right in Resolutions 1368 (12 September 2001) and 1373 (), the latter establishing binding counter-terrorism obliga…

6. 9 September 2001

   The campaign combined US and British air power with ground operations by the Northern Alliance (United Islamic Front), the anti-Taliban coalition whose leade…

7. 13 November 2001

   Kabul fell on , and the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar surrendered in early December.

8. 5 December 2001

   The political settlement followed swiftly at the Bonn Conference (December 2001), which produced the Bonn Agreement of , installing Hamid Karzai as chairman…

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In December 2001, the UN-brokered Bonn Agreement installed Hamid Karzai as head of Afghanistan's interim administration after US-led forces and the Northern Alliance ousted the Taliban from Kabul.

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