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Afghanistan and Iraq Timelines
Kenneth L. Alford, “Afghanistan and Iraq Timelines,” in Saints at War: The Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book), 37‒48.
Note: Entries represent local time where the event occurred, unless otherwise noted.
Afghanistan | Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) | Church and World History |
2001 | ||
October 7 Operation Enduring Freedom begins as American and British forces attack Afghanistan 14 White House rejects Taliban offer to send Osama bin Laden to a third country for trial if U.S. provides evidence of involvement in 9/ 19 First U.S. combat ground actions 26 Britain deploys 4,200 soldiers to Afghanistan November 13 Fall of Kabul to U.S. and coalition forces December 2–5 Bonn Conference creates Afghan Interim Authority, outlines process for creating a new government 9 Last Taliban stronghold surrenders in Zabol province, near Pakistan; al-Qaeda fighters hide in mountain caves 20 UN authorizes the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to support Afghans 22 Hamid Karzai sworn in as head of interim power-sharing Afghan government | February 16-17 British and U.S. conduct air strikes against radar and air defense centers near Baghdad August 27 Iraq claims to shoot down an unmanned U.S. Predator drone near Basra September 11 Saddam Hussein declares his government played no part in the 9/ | January 20 George W. Bush sworn in as 43rd U.S. President February 15 The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve approve guidelines to reaffirm the correct name of the Church July 16 Sino-Russian Friendship Treaty signed August 21 NATO sends peace-keeping force to Macedonia September 11 Terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 October 8 Office of Homeland Security created December 11 China joins the World Trade Organization 13 The U.S. withdraws from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty 22 Richard Reid attempts to detonate a shoe bomb on American Airlines Flight 63 27 China is granted permanent normal trade status with the U.S. |
2002 | ||
January 23 Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is abducted in Karachi, Pakistan February 21 Daniel Pearl is confirmed dead March 25 Plans announced to create an Afghan National Army June 13 Hamid Karzai elected to two-year presidential term August 9 NATO assumes responsibility for UN ISAF mission | July 5 Saddam Hussein rejects new UN weapons inspections September 12 President George W. Bush addresses the UN and calls for action regarding Iraq November 8 UN Security Council unanimously passes resolution to force Iraq to disarm October 2 U.S. Congress passes the Iraq war resolution, authorizing use of force in Iraq 16 Pres. Bush signs the Iraq war resolution | February Utah hosts the 2002 Winter Olympics June 27 Nauvoo Illinois Temple dedicated September 9-10 President Hinckley visits Russia and Ukraine 10 Switzerland joins the UN |
2003 | ||
March 1 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, key planner of the 9/ 10 Afghanistan officially activates .AF Internet domain 28 UN Security Council extends assistance mission in Afghanistan for another year April 16 NATO unanimously agrees to take command of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) in Afghanistan–first time in NATO history for a mission outside the North Atlantic area 22 Afghanistan-Pakistan talks held regarding borders, trade, and terrorism May 1 Afghanistan joins the International Criminal Court 23 Afghan Ministry of Health begins polio vaccination campaign June 6 Pres. Hamid Karzi receives honorary British knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II November 27 President George W. Bush makes surprise visit to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan | February 5 U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell briefs UN that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein poses an imminent threat 14 UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix reports to UN Security Council that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq March 17 President George W. Bush issues ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq in forty-eight hours or face military action 19 U.S. and coalition forces begin military actions against Iraq April 9 Coalition forces take Baghdad May 1 President Bush declares end to “major combat operations” 22 UN Security Council approves resolution acknowledging the U.S. and UK’s right to occupy Iraq December 13 Saddam Hussein is captured in Tikrit, Iraq | January 24 U.S. Department of Homeland Security begins operation February 1 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates on reentry, killing all seven astronauts 26 Fighting in Darfur, Sudan, begins April 14 Human Genome Project completed August 27 U.S., Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea begin talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program |
2004 | ||
January Afghanistan passes a new constitution by consensus October 9 Afghanistan holds first direct democratic election December 7 Hamid Karzai is sworn in as first democratically elected president of Afghanistan | April Abu Ghraib prison abuse is brought to light June 28 U.S.-led coalition hands over sovereignty to interim Iraqi government August U.S. and Iraqi forces battle followers of Shi‘ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf, Iraq November U.S. and Iraqi forces battle insurgents in Falluja—2,000 insurgents killed 19 Iraqi civilians killed in Haditha, Iraq; eight U.S. Marines face charges; one convicted | January Church membership passes twelve million August 1 Mexico becomes first country outside U.S. with over one million Church members November Preach My Gospel is published 2 George Bush is reelected U.S. president |
2005 | ||
September First parliamentary election in three decades is held December Afghan Parliament holds its first session | February 26 U.S. Army PFC Lynndie England found guilty by military court regarding Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse April 2 Abu Ghraib prison is attacked by insurgent forces August 28 Proposed Constitution signed by Iraqi National Assembly | February 10 North Korea announces it has nuclear weapons April 2 Pope John Paul II dies; succeeded by Pope Benedict XVI August 29 Hurricane Katrina strikes U.S. |
2006 | ||
March 1 President Bush makes first visit to Afghanistan October NATO assumes responsibility for security operations in Afghanistan | February 22 Al Askari Mosque, a Shi’ite Islam holy site, is bombed in Samarra, Iraq 23-24 168 Sunni Islam mosques across Iraq attacked in retaliation November 5 Saddam Hussein is found guilty, sentenced to death December 30 Saddam Hussein is hanged | January 19 NASA launches mission to Pluto March 15 UN Human Rights Council is established October 9 North Korea conducts first nuclear test |
2007 | ||
February 15 President Bush calls on NATO to increase troops in Afghanistan 27 Suicide bomber blows up at Bagram Air Base checkpoint, killing more than twenty May 11 Taliban top commander, Mullah Dadullah, killed in U.S.-led coalition operation | January 10 U.S. troop surge begins, sending additional soldiers to Iraq September 3 British troops withdraw from Basra | April 16 Virginia Tech shooting occurs; thirty-two dead and seventeen wounded June 24 Church membership reaches thirteen million |
2008 | ||
July 19 Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama visits Afghanistan December 15 President Bush makes surprise visit to Afghanistan | July 10 General David Petraeus confirmed as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) 16 U.S. troop surge officially ends December 4 Iraqi Presidential Council approves security agreement for U.S. to withdraw from Iraq by 2011 | January 27 President Gordon B. Hinckley dies February 3 Thomas S. Monson becomes Church president 17 Kosovo declares independence from Serbia November 4 Barack Obama elected U.S. president December 27 Israel invades the Gaza Strip |
2009 | ||
February 17 President Obama approves 17,000-troop increase June 30 Sergeant Bowe R. Bergdahl taken hostage by the Taliban (released in 2014) August 20 Afghanistan holds second national election October 31 Runoff election canceled after Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah withdraws November 19 Hamid Karzai sworn in for second term as Afghan president December 1 President Obama announces deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops | January U.S. Opens new embassy in Baghdad 1 U.S. hands over control of Baghdad’s Green Zone to Iraqi authorities 22 Estonia and El Salvador end missions in Iraq 31 Iraqi provincial elections held April 7 President Obama makes unannounced trip to visit U.S. troops in Iraq February 27 President Obama announces August 31, 2010, as end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq June 30 Iraqi troops take over security operations September 11 Inmates at Abu Ghraib prison riot for two days | January Three-week war between Israel and Gaza 12 UN Security Council unanimously expands sanctions against North Korea 15 Captain Chesley Sullenberger safely lands U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River 20 Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th U.S. president June 11 Swine flu outbreak begins November 5 U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan kills thirteen and wounds thirty-two at Fort Hood, Texas |
2010 | ||
January 28 Over sixty nations meet in London for International Conference on Afghanistan March 28 President Obama visits Afghanistan August 1 The Netherlands becomes first NATO member to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan September 18 Afghan parliamentary elections are held December 3 President Obama visits Afghanistan | August 19 Last U.S. combat forces leave Iraq; 52,000 U.S. support troops remain September 1 Operation Iraqi Freedom is renamed Operation New Dawn 15 Inmated at Abu Ghraib prison riot for two days | January 12 Earthquake in Haiti killed approz. 300,000 people April 20 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico July 25 WikiLeaks publishes over 90,000 classified documents on the War in Afghanistan August 29 Kyiv Ukraine Temple dedicated November 28 WikiLeaks publishes 250,000 classified U.S. documents December 17 Self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi triggers the Arab Spring |
2011 | ||
May 2 Navy Seals kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan June 22 President Obama announces U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan will end by 2014 July 13 First U.S. soldiers leave Afghanistan August 10 Mullah Mohibullah, Taliban leader, is killed | May 22 Last British military forces in Iraq withdraw October 17 U.S. and Iraq unable to reach agreement regarding legal immunity for remaining U.S. troops December 15 U.S. military mission in Iraq ends 18 Last U.S. troops in Iraq cross into Kuwait | February 11 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns 15 Libyan Civil War begins March 11 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit Japan 15 Syrian government kills hundreds of protesters, sparking civil war July 21 NASA’s space shuttle program ends October 20 Muammar Gaddafi is killed, ending Libyan civil war |
2012 | ||
February 21 Violent protests in Afghanistan over false reports that copies of the Koran were burned at a U.S. military base April 8 Afghan authorities are given veto over special operations night raids May 2 U.S. and Afghanistan sign strategic partnership agreement for ten years of U.S. support September 20 End of U.S. forces surge in Afghanistan | Widespread and frequent violence throughout Iraq February 12 Turkish warplane attack sites in northern Iraq April 19 Bombings in Samarra, Kirkuk, and Baghdad in Iraq’s worst violence in weeks | July 30 Worst blackout in history—620 million people without power in India September 11 U.S. ambassador Christopher Stephens is killed in Benghazi, Libya October 6 President Thomas S. Monson announces changes in eligibility age for missionaries November 6 Barack Obama is reelected |
2013 | ||
May 27 President Obama announces U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan will end December 2014 June 18 Afghan National Security Forces take over combat operations September 30 U.S. and Afghanistan sign joint security agreement allowing U.S. troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond December deadline | Numerous suicide bombers and insurgent attacks throughout the year across the country | February 28 Pope Benedict XVI resigns March 13 Pope Francis is elected April 15 Boston Marathon bombing November 24 Iran agrees to limit nuclear program |
2014 | ||
September 30 U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Security agreement and NATO-Afghanistan Status of Forces Agreement signed October 26 UK officially ends combat operations in Afghanistan December 28 U.S. and NATO end combat mission in Afghanistan | June 5 Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) attacks northern Iraq 5 ISIS captures Mosul, Iraq 29 ISIS declares itself a caliphate August 8 U.S. begins air campaign against ISIS | February Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa March 21 Russia annexes Crimea September 22 U.S. begins air campaign against Syrian government |
2015 | ||
| Taliban resurgence across Afghanistan | May 21 ISIS captures Palmyra, Syria 22 ISIS controls half of Syria and all the Iraq/ | July 20 U.S. and Cuba reestablish full diplomatic relations September 30 Russia begins air strikes against Syrian rebels November 13 ISIS attacks in Paris (130 killed) |
2016 | ||
| Numerous Taliban attacks and bombings across Afghanistan | February 9 Iraqi forces retake Ramadi June 26 Iraqi forces retake Fallujah | February 7 North Korea launches rocket into space June 23 Britain votes to leave the European Union July 14 Terrorist truck attack in Nice, France (eighty-six killed) September 9 North Korea conducts fifth nuclear test November 8 Donald Trump is elected U.S. president |
2017 | ||
April 13 U.S. drops largest non-nuclear weapon on ISIS base in Afghanistan | July 10 Mosul liberated from ISIS October 17 Raqqa, Syria, liberated from ISIS December 9 Iraqi military announces ISIS removed from Iraq | February 11 North Korea fires missile across the Sea of Japan April 6 U.S. launches fifty-nine cruise missiles at Syrian air base in response to chemical weapons attack June 1 U.S. announces decision to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement August 25 Hurricane Harvey strikes U.S. (costliest natural disaster in U.S. history) September 3 North Korea conducts sixth nuclear test October 1 Las Vegas shooting (58 killed, 851 injured) December 6 U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital |
2018 | ||
October 12 U.S. and Taliban hold initial round of peace talks in Qatar November 14-16 Round two of U.S.-Taliban peace talks in Qatar December 17 Round three of U.S.-Taliban peace talks in United Arab Emirates | December 19 President Trump declares ISIS defeated in Iraq and Syria; announces withdrawal of some U.S. forces from Syria | March 11 China’s government grants Xi Jinping status of president for life 31 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints restructures elder quorums and high priest groups April 1 President Russell M. Nelson announced the end of home and visiting teaching and the beginning of ministering 14 U.S., UK, and France bomb Syrian bases May 8 U.S. withdraws from Iranian nuclear deal December 14 Latter-day Saint leaders announced Aaronic Priesthood and Young Women changes of eleven-year-olds |
2019 | ||
January 8 Round four of U.S.-Taliban peace talks are canceled February 27 Round five of U.S.-Taliban peace talks begin in Qatar March 12 Round five of U.S.-Taliban peace talks end May 1-9 Round six of U.S.-Taliban peace talks in Qatar June 23 Round seven of U.S.-Taliban peace talks in Doha August 3 Round eight of U.S.-Taliban peace talks in Doha 22 Round nine of U.S.-Taliban peace talks begin in Qatar | January 1 Two-hour Church services and the Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families resource began for Latter-day Saints March 9 President Russell M. Nelson met with Pope Francis 10 Rome Italy Temple dedicated | |
