WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and British forces began launching airstrikes into Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against America. The initial strikes were aimed at Taliban troops, training camps and air defenses. By early November there were about 1,300 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Since then the U.S. force there has grown, reaching 100,000 in mid-2010 as President Barack Obama ordered additional troops sent in to quell escalating violence.