Gulf War

The Gulf War, or Persian Gulf War, or the mother of all Battles, or Operation Desert Storm, began on August 2, 1990 (Iraqi invasion of Kuwait) and ended on March 3, 1991 (Iraq accepts ceasefire). However, Operation Desert Storm was officially ended on November 30, 1995. This war was waged by a United Nation authorized Coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq.

There were three causes to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait –

1. Iraq considered Kuwait to be a part of Iraq.
2. Iraq constantly claimed that Kuwait oil rigs were illegally tapping into Iraqi oil fields.
3. Iraq was virtually bankrupt, with most of its debts owed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and pressured both countries to forgive the debts, but they refused.

Iraq launched the invasion by bombing Kuwait City on August 2, 1990. Within hours of the invasion, U.S and Kuwaiti delegations requested a meeting of United Nation Security Council, which passed the Resolution 660, accusing the invasion and demanding a withdrawal of Iraqi troops.
The ground phase of the war was given the official designation Operation Desert Sabre. 1st Cavalry Division, elements of the 2nd Brigade, performed a covert Reconnaissance (is a military term denoting a preliminary survey) into Iraq on February 9, 1991. From February 15 to 20, the Battle of Wadi Al-Batin took place inside Iraq. Nine American soldiers were wounded and three were killed as well as several armored vehicles and tanks were destroyed, but they had killed twenty prisoners and destroyed five tanks plus they had taken seven prisoners.
On February 24, American and British armed forces crossed the Kuwait/Iraqi border and entered Iraq in large numbers. Shortly afterwards, the U.S. VII Corps in full strength led by the 3rd Squadron of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (3/2 ACR) launched an armored attack on Iraq, just to the west of the Kuwait, which surprised the Iraqi forces. The Iraqi suffered massive losses and lost dozens of vehicles and tanks, while American casualties were comparatively low, with a single Bradley knocked out.
Coalition forces moved ten kilometers ahead into Iraqi territory and accomplished their objectives within three hours. They inflicted heavy losses and took 500 prisoners, decimating the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division. An American soldier was killed by an Iraqi land mine, another five by friendly fire, and thirty wounded during the operation. They breached the Iraqi defenses and decimated an entire Iraqi infantry division. Meanwhile, they attacked the village Al Busayyah, meeting fierce resistance. They destroyed a considerable amount of military hardware and took prisoners with no casualties.
The Coalition advance was much swifter than U.S. generals had accepted. On February 28, one hundred hours after the ground operation started, President Bush declared a ceasefire, and he also declared that Kuwait had been liberated.

War in Afghanistan
The War in Afghanistan, or the War on Terrorism, or Operation Enduring Freedom, began on October 7, 2001. It was the first major conflict of the 21st Century.  The Operation Enduring Freedom was launched along with the British Military, in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The U.S. government claimed that aim of their invasion was to find Osama bin Laden and other high-ranking Al-Qaeda members to be put on trial, to destroy the organization, to remove the Taliban regime which gave safe harbor to it.
The first U.S. forces to enter Afghanistan and begin combat operations were the teams from CIA’s (Central Intelligence Agency) Special Activities Division (SAD).  They were soon joined by U.S. Army Special Forces and other units from the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
The Battle of Mazar-I-Shariff was considered important, since it is the location of a significant transportation hub with two main airports and a major supply route leading into Uzbekistan. It would also enable humanitarian aid to alleviate Afghanistan’s menacing food crisis, which has threatened more than six million people with hunger. Coalition forces, under the command of generals Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor and Abdul Rashid Dostum, swept across the Pul-i-Imam Bukhri bridge and seized the city’s main military airport and base. After a bloody ninety-minute battle, Taliban forces, who had held the city since 1998, withdrew from the city.
On November 13, in Kabul, when the Coalition forces arrived in the afternoon they were greeted with bomb craters, burned foliage and the burnt-out shells of Taliban gun emplacements and positions. A group of about twenty militants were the only remaining defenders hiding in the city’s park. This group was killed in a fifteen-minute battle.
On November 25, the day that surrendered Taliban fighters were being herded into the Qala-I-Janghi fortress, few Taliban fighters attacked some Northern Alliance guards, taking their weapons and opening fire. It triggered a widespread revolt by 300 prisoners, who soon seized the southern half of the complex, once a medieval fortress, including an armory stocked with crew-served weapons and small arms. Johny Micheal, CIA paramilitary operative, who had been interrogating prisoners, was killed. It was the first American combat death in the Operation Enduring Freedom.
As more Allied troops entered the war, and the Coalition forces fought their way southwards, the Al-Qaeda and Taliban ran away toward the hilly border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. From 2002 to the present, the Taliban focused on rebuilding its forces and survival, and also increased their attacks.