The United States bombed Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The attacks were carried out by the terrorist group al-Qaeda, which was based in Afghanistan and led by Osama bin Laden. In an effort to dismantle al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban government that harbored them, the United States launched military operations in Afghanistan, known as Operation Enduring Freedom.
