<P> The United States invasion of Afghanistan occurred after the September 11 attacks in late 2001, supported by allies including the United Kingdom . </P> <P> U.S. President George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over Osama bin Laden and expel al - Qaeda from Afghanistan . Bin Laden had been wanted by the U.S. since 1998 for the bombing of two U.S. embassies and was never officially charged for the 9 / 11 attacks . The Taliban government refused to extradite him (or others sought by the U.S.) unless it provided evidence of his involvement in the 9 / 11 attacks . They ignored U.S. demands to shut down al - Qaeda bases . The request for proof of bin Laden's involvement was dismissed by the U.S. as a delaying tactic . </P> <P> Immediately after the attacks, General Tommy Franks, then - commanding general of Central Command (CENTCOM), initially proposed to President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that the U.S. invade Afghanistan using a conventional force of 60,000 troops, preceded by six months of preparation . Rumsfield and Bush feared that a conventional invasion of Afghanistan could bog down as had happened to the Soviets and the British . Rumsfield rejected Franks's plan, saying "I want men on the ground now!" Franks returned the next day with a plan utilizing U.S. Special Forces . On September 26, 2001, fifteen days after the 9 / 11 attack, the U.S. covertly inserted members of the CIA's Special Activities Division led by Gary Schroen as part of team Jawbreaker into Afghanistan, forming the Northern Afghanistan Liaison Team . They linked up with the Northern Alliance as part of Task Force Dagger . </P> <P> Two weeks later, Task Force Dagger; Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 555 and 595, both 12 - man Green Beret teams from 5th Special Forces Group, plus Air Force combat controllers, were airlifted by helicopter from the Karshi - Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan more than 300 kilometers (190 mi) across the 16,000 feet (4,900 m) Hindu Kush mountains in zero - visibility conditions by two SOAR MH - 47E Chinook helicopters . The Chinooks were refueled in - flight three times during the 11 - hour mission, establishing a new world record for combat rotorcraft missions at the time . They linked up with the CIA and Northern Alliance . Within a few weeks the Northern Alliance, with assistance from the U.S. ground and air forces, captured several key cities from the Taliban . </P>

When did the u.s. begin fighting in afghanistan