U.S. war on terrorism

Out of fear, we fought a long and costly war in Iraq that has made us less safe, less influential and less wealthy. Some key milestones include:

Sept. 11, 2001 Nineteen terrorists from the Middle East seized four commercial aircraft, flying two of them into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and another into a field in Shanksville, Penn.

Fall of Taliban rule in Kabul, Nov. 13, 2001 Northern Alliance and American Special Forces arrived in the capital of Afghanistan, liberating the city from Taliban rule.

U.S.-led Invasion of Iraq, March 20, 2003 A coalition of 160,000 troops (130,000 of whom were from the United States) invaded Iraq. In 21 days of combat they overthrew Saddam Hussein’s government and began a bloody decade-long occupation with a rising insurgency.

U.S. troop “surge” in Iraq, Jan. 10, 2007 Confronting an escalating civil war in Iraq with increasing casualties, President George W. Bush shifted strategy, sending 21,000 additional U.S. soldiers to Iraq. Under the command of Gen. David Petraeus, the United States pursued vigorous counterinsurgency activities in alliance with Sunni leaders, which later become known as the “Sunni Awakening.”

American troop drawdowns from Iraq and Afghanistan, June-Dec. 2011 After surging American forces in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama withdrew the last U.S. combat troops from Iraq and reduced the American military presence in Afghanistan.

Rise of ISIS, June 2014 The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant proclaimed a new worldwide caliphate and began a reign of terror in parts of Iraq, Syria and later, Europe.