There were 16,551 NATO and non-NATO troops in Afghanistan around February 2020.[13] Around June 2020, that number dropped to 15,937.[14] In February 2021, there were 9,592 NATO and non-NATO troops in Afghanistan.[15]
The self-reported strength of the Afghan National Security Forces consisted of more than 300,000 personnel during 2020.[16][17] These forces surrendered or fled to neighbouring countries during the August phase of the 2021 Taliban offensive, leaving nearly all of the country under Taliban control.
Operation Freedom Sentinel was expected to formally end on August 31, 2021, but was de-facto completed one day earlier on August 30, as the last remaining troops withdrew and was officially terminated by the DoD on October 1, 2021 as it officially initiated its successor, Operation Enduring Sentinel.[18][19]
After thirteen years of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. military and NATO allies shifted focus from major military operations to a smaller role of NATO-led training and assistance.[20] While the bulk of the new mission was under the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission (RS), "a separate 'non-NATO' contingent of U.S. forces will participate in force protection, logistical support and counterterrorism activities."[20]
An October 1, 2015, statement by Gen. John F. Campbell, commander, Resolute Support Mission, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan/ISAF, defined the U.S. military's objectives. "U.S. forces are now carrying out two well-defined missions: a Counter-Terrorism (CT) mission against the remnants of Al-Qaeda and the Resolute Support TAA mission in support of Afghan security forces. Our CT and TAA efforts are concurrent and complementary. While we continue to attack the remnants of Al-Qaeda, we are also building the ANDSF so that they can secure the Afghan people, win the peace, and contribute to stability throughout the region."[21]
When OFS started U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan were at 9,800 troops. General Campbell requested an additional 1,000 troops while NATO troop levels were built up to a force of about 13,500. His request was granted.[22] In 2019, U.S. troop levels were at 14,000 troops in combined support of NATO RS missions and OFS.[23] By January 2021, the U.S. had reduced its force level to 2,500 troops.[24] However, it was later revealed that U.S. has 1000 more troops, which include Special Operations forces, than it disclosed in Afghanistan.[25]
Moreover, as of January 2021, there were still approximately 18,000 military contractors, of which a third were U.S. citizens, in Afghanistan[26] President Biden stated on July 8, 2021, that the war in Afghanistan would officially conclude on August 31, 2021.[18] American airstrikes on Taliban members were projected to continue,[27] but ended with the fall of the Islamic Republic.[28]
Congressional reports
The Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations (Lead IG) is responsible for submitting a quarterly report on OFS to Congress. The quarterly report describes activities in support of OFS, as well as the work of the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the United States Agency for International Development to promote the U.S. Government's policy goals in Afghanistan,[29]
Excerpts from the January 1, 2018 – March 30, 2018 report:
“General John Nicholson Jr., Commander of Resolute Support and Commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) said this quarter that U.S. and Afghan forces were gaining momentum through the new South Asia strategy, and that the Taliban was shifting to "guerilla tactics and suicide attacks" because it was no longer able to carry out attacks to seize cities or districts. However, suicide attacks and bombings in Kabul and across Afghanistan resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, and raised concerns among Afghans about whether the government can secure the country.”[29]
“The United States faces multiple challenges in Afghanistan. Previous Lead IG quarterly reports identified several challenges facing Afghanistan and the OFS mission, including preparing to hold safe, credible parliamentary elections, defeating ISIS-K, and pressuring Pakistan to eliminate safe havens. During the quarter, the United States and Afghanistan continued to seek to address these challenges, though with limited progress, as detailed throughout this report.[29]
This quarter, Lead IG agencies also observed the following emerging challenges that complicate the OFS mission and efforts to end the conflict:”
^"News – Resolute Support Mission". Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
^"Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan were possible victims of friendly fire". Army Times. 28 April 2017.
^Barbara Starr; Ralph Ellis (8 May 2017). "ISIS leader in Afghanistan was killed in raid, US confirms". CNN.
^Browne, Ryan (14 July 2017). "US kills leader of ISIS in Afghanistan". CNN. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
^"Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W. White on death of ISIS-K leader in Afghanistan". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
^"ISIL leader in Afghanistan killed in air raids". aljazeera.com.
^"UN: Islamic State replaced leader in Afghanistan after visit from central leadership | FDD's Long War Journal". longwarjournal.org. July 30, 2019.
^"Afghan forces announce arrest of local ISIL leader".
^"SIGAR: QUARTERLY REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS April 2021" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ ab"The U.S. military finishes its evacuation, and an era ends in Afghanistan". AP NEWS. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
^"Operation Enduring Sentinel & Operation Freedom's Sentinel Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress" (PDF). Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General. 30 September 2022. p. 5. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
^ ab"NATO combat mission formally ends in Afghanistan". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
^"Operation Freedom's Sentinel and our continued security investment in Afghanistan". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
^Sisk, Richard. "Amid Confusion, DoD Names New Mission 'Operation Freedom's Sentinel'". Military.com. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
^"Operation Freedom's Sentinel: Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress, April 1, 2019–June 30, 2019" (PDF). Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General. 20 August 2019. p. 47. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
^Ali, Idrees (2021-01-15). "U.S. troops in Afghanistan now down to 2,500, lowest since 2001: Pentagon". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
^Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Cooper, Helene; Schmitt, Eric (2021-03-14). "U.S. Has 1,000 More Troops in Afghanistan Than It Disclosed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
^"Troop levels are down, but US says over 18,000 contractors remain in Afghanistan". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
^"Gen. McKenzie: U.S. prepared to continue airstrikes against Taliban - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
^"Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
^ abcd"OPERATION FREEDOM'S SENTINEL REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS JANUARY 1, 2018‒MARCH 31, 2018" (PDF).
Donati, Jessica (2021). Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War. Public Affairs. Reviewed at [1].
May 07, 2023
operation, freedom, sentinel, official, name, used, government, mission, succeeding, operation, enduring, freedom, continuation, afghanistan, part, larger, global, terrorism, part, nato, resolute, support, mission, which, began, january, 2015, components, coun. Operation Freedom s Sentinel OFS was the official name used by the U S government for the mission succeeding Operation Enduring Freedom OEF in continuation of the War in Afghanistan as part of the larger Global War on Terrorism Operation Freedom s Sentinel is part of the NATO led Resolute Support Mission which began on January 1 2015 OFS had two components counterterrorism and working with allies as part of Resolute Support 12 Operation Freedom s SentinelPart of the War on terror War in Afghanistan Resolute Support MissionA U S Army crew chief with 17th Cavalry Regiment surveys the area over Jalalabad Afghanistan Date1 January 2015 30 August 2021 6 years 7 months and 2 weeks LocationAfghanistanResultTaliban victory Fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the TalibanEvacuation of US citizens and at risk Afghans from KabulBelligerents NATO Resolute Support Mission Islamic Republic of Afghanistan United States Part of Resolute Support Mission DoD Contractor PersonnelTaliban al Qaeda Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIL KPCommanders and leadersCIC Joe Biden 2021 CIC Donald J Trump 2017 2021 CIC Barack Obama 2014 2017 United States Central Command Gen Kenneth F McKenzie Jr USMC 2019 2021 GEN Joseph Votel USA 2016 19 GEN Lloyd Austin USA 2015 16 Resolute Support Mission GEN Austin S Miller USA 2018 2021 GEN John W Nicholson Jr USA 2016 18 GEN John F Campbell USA 2015 16 Coalition RS 1 2015 2021 HenriXavier BettelBorut PahorJanez JansaMarjan SarecMiro CerarJacinda ArdernBill EnglishJohn KeyKaterina SakellaropoulouProkopis PavlopoulosKarolos PapouliasKyriakos MitsotakisAlexis TsiprasAlexis TsiprasAntonis SamarasAlexander Van der BellenHeinz FischerSebastian KurzBrigitte BierleinChristian KernWerner FaymannVolodymyr ZelenskyPetro PoroshenkoDenys ShmyhalOleksiy HoncharukVolodymyr GroysmanArseniy YatsenyukMilo ĐukanovicFilip VujanovicZdravko KrivokapicDusko MarkovicEgils LevitsRaimonds VejonisKrisjanis KarinsMaris KucinskisLaimdota StraujumaKersti KaljulaidToomas Hendrik IlvesKaja KallasJuri RatasTaavi RoivasStevo PendarovskiGjorge IvanovZoran ZaevOliver SpasovskiEmil DimitrievNikola GruevskiGitanas NausedaDalia GrybauskaiteIngrida SimonyteSaulius SkvernelisAlgirdas ButkeviciusZuzana CaputovaAndrej KiskaEduard HegerIgor MatovicPeter PellegriniRobert FicoHarald VErna SolbergSauli NiinistoPedro SanchezMariano RajoySifet PodzicMarina PendesSophie WilmesCharles MichelJanos AderIlir MetaBujar NishaniZoran MilanovicKolinda Grabar KitarovicIlham AliyevNikol PashinyanKaren KarapetyanHovik AbrahamyanMette FrederiksenLars Lokke RasmussenRumen RadevRosen PlevnelievMark RutteMarcelo Rebelo de SousaAnibal Cavaco SilvaScott MorrisonMalcolm TurnbullKhaltmaagiin BattulgaTsakhiagiin ElbegdorjMilos ZemanAndrzej DudaRecep Tayyip ErdoganKlaus IohannisSalome ZourabichviliGiorgi MargvelashviliGiuseppe ContePaolo GentiloniMatteo RenziAngela MerkelJoe BidenDonald TrumpBarack ObamaElizabeth IIBoris JohnsonTheresa MayDavid CameronJohn F CampbellHibatullah Akhundzada Akhtar Mansour Ayman al Zawahiri Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al Qurashi 2019 2021 Abu Bakr al Baghdadi 2014 19 Hafiz Saeed Khan 2015 July 2016 Abdul Haseeb Logari 2 3 2016 April 2017 Abdul Rahman Ghaleb 4 5 April July 2017 Abu Saad Erhabi 6 July 2017 August 2018 Zia ul Haq August 2018 April 2019 Abdullah Orokzai POW 7 8 April 2019 April 2020 Qari Hekmat Mufti Nemat Dawood Ahmad Sofi Mohamed Zahran Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi StrengthPeak strength Resolute Support Mission 17 178 troops on October 2019 9 Afghan National Defense and Security Forces 307 947 on January 28 2021 10 DoD Contractor Personnel 39 609 1st quarter of 2015 11 UnknownCasualties and lossesSee War in Afghanistan for full listsThere were 16 551 NATO and non NATO troops in Afghanistan around February 2020 13 Around June 2020 that number dropped to 15 937 14 In February 2021 there were 9 592 NATO and non NATO troops in Afghanistan 15 The self reported strength of the Afghan National Security Forces consisted of more than 300 000 personnel during 2020 16 17 These forces surrendered or fled to neighbouring countries during the August phase of the 2021 Taliban offensive leaving nearly all of the country under Taliban control Operation Freedom Sentinel was expected to formally end on August 31 2021 but was de facto completed one day earlier on August 30 as the last remaining troops withdrew and was officially terminated by the DoD on October 1 2021 as it officially initiated its successor Operation Enduring Sentinel 18 19 Contents 1 Objectives 2 Congressional reports 3 See also 4 ReferencesObjectives EditAfter thirteen years of Operation Enduring Freedom the U S military and NATO allies shifted focus from major military operations to a smaller role of NATO led training and assistance 20 While the bulk of the new mission was under the NATO led Resolute Support Mission RS a separate non NATO contingent of U S forces will participate in force protection logistical support and counterterrorism activities 20 An October 1 2015 statement by Gen John F Campbell commander Resolute Support Mission U S Forces Afghanistan ISAF defined the U S military s objectives U S forces are now carrying out two well defined missions a Counter Terrorism CT mission against the remnants of Al Qaeda and the Resolute Support TAA mission in support of Afghan security forces Our CT and TAA efforts are concurrent and complementary While we continue to attack the remnants of Al Qaeda we are also building the ANDSF so that they can secure the Afghan people win the peace and contribute to stability throughout the region 21 When OFS started U S troop levels in Afghanistan were at 9 800 troops General Campbell requested an additional 1 000 troops while NATO troop levels were built up to a force of about 13 500 His request was granted 22 In 2019 U S troop levels were at 14 000 troops in combined support of NATO RS missions and OFS 23 By January 2021 the U S had reduced its force level to 2 500 troops 24 However it was later revealed that U S has 1000 more troops which include Special Operations forces than it disclosed in Afghanistan 25 Moreover as of January 2021 there were still approximately 18 000 military contractors of which a third were U S citizens in Afghanistan 26 President Biden stated on July 8 2021 that the war in Afghanistan would officially conclude on August 31 2021 18 American airstrikes on Taliban members were projected to continue 27 but ended with the fall of the Islamic Republic 28 Congressional reports EditThe Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations Lead IG is responsible for submitting a quarterly report on OFS to Congress The quarterly report describes activities in support of OFS as well as the work of the Department of Defense the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development to promote the U S Government s policy goals in Afghanistan 29 Excerpts from the January 1 2018 March 30 2018 report General John Nicholson Jr Commander of Resolute Support and Commander of U S Forces Afghanistan USFOR A said this quarter that U S and Afghan forces were gaining momentum through the new South Asia strategy and that the Taliban was shifting to guerilla tactics and suicide attacks because it was no longer able to carry out attacks to seize cities or districts However suicide attacks and bombings in Kabul and across Afghanistan resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties and raised concerns among Afghans about whether the government can secure the country 29 The United States faces multiple challenges in Afghanistan Previous Lead IG quarterly reports identified several challenges facing Afghanistan and the OFS mission including preparing to hold safe credible parliamentary elections defeating ISIS K and pressuring Pakistan to eliminate safe havens During the quarter the United States and Afghanistan continued to seek to address these challenges though with limited progress as detailed throughout this report 29 This quarter Lead IG agencies also observed the following emerging challenges that complicate the OFS mission and efforts to end the conflict Stemming the Attacks in Kabul Managing Increased Violence in Afghanistan Pursuing Peace 29 See also EditOperation Allies Refuge part of the evacuation from AfghanistanReferences Edit News Resolute Support Mission Archived from the original on 28 February 2015 Retrieved 17 July 2015 Army Rangers killed in Afghanistan were possible victims of friendly fire Army Times 28 April 2017 Barbara Starr Ralph Ellis 8 May 2017 ISIS leader in Afghanistan was killed in raid US confirms CNN Browne Ryan 14 July 2017 US kills leader of ISIS in Afghanistan CNN Retrieved 15 July 2017 Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W White on death of ISIS K leader in Afghanistan U S Department of Defense Retrieved 15 July 2017 ISIL leader in Afghanistan killed in air raids aljazeera com UN Islamic State replaced leader in Afghanistan after visit from central leadership FDD s Long War Journal longwarjournal org July 30 2019 Afghan forces announce arrest of local ISIL leader https www nato int nato static fl2014 assets pdf pdf 2019 10 20191022 2019 10 RSM Placemat pdf bare URL PDF https www sigar mil pdf quarterlyreports 2021 04 30qr pdf bare URL PDF https www acq osd mil log ps CENTCOM reports html FY15 1Q 5A Jan2015 pdf bare URL PDF Meet Operation Freedom s Sentinel the Pentagon s new mission in Afghanistan Washington Post Retrieved 2018 10 07 Resolute Support Mission RSM Key Facts and Figures February 2020 PDF a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Resolute Support Mission RSM Key Facts and Figures June 2020 PDF a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Resolute Support Mission RSM Key Facts and Figures February 2021 PDF a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link SIGAR Quarterly Report April 30 2020 PDF SIGAR QUARTERLY REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS April 2021 PDF a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b The U S military finishes its evacuation and an era ends in Afghanistan AP NEWS 2021 08 30 Retrieved 2021 08 30 Operation Enduring Sentinel amp Operation Freedom s Sentinel Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress PDF Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General 30 September 2022 p 5 Retrieved 30 September 2022 a b NATO combat mission formally ends in Afghanistan Washington Post Retrieved 2018 10 07 Operation Freedom s Sentinel and our continued security investment in Afghanistan www army mil Retrieved 2018 10 07 Sisk Richard Amid Confusion DoD Names New Mission Operation Freedom s Sentinel Military com Retrieved 2018 10 07 Operation Freedom s Sentinel Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress April 1 2019 June 30 2019 PDF Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General 20 August 2019 p 47 Retrieved 12 October 2019 Ali Idrees 2021 01 15 U S troops in Afghanistan now down to 2 500 lowest since 2001 Pentagon Reuters Retrieved 2021 02 06 Gibbons Neff Thomas Cooper Helene Schmitt Eric 2021 03 14 U S Has 1 000 More Troops in Afghanistan Than It Disclosed The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2021 05 06 Troop levels are down but US says over 18 000 contractors remain in Afghanistan Stars and Stripes Retrieved 2021 05 06 Gen McKenzie U S prepared to continue airstrikes against Taliban The Washington Post The Washington Post Pentagon Press Secretary John F Kirby Holds a Press Briefing U S Department of Defense Retrieved 2021 08 20 a b c d OPERATION FREEDOM S SENTINEL REPORT TO THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS JANUARY 1 2018 MARCH 31 2018 PDF Donati Jessica 2021 Eagle Down The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War Public Affairs Reviewed at 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Operation Freedom 27s Sentinel amp oldid 1151574137, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
