|
The Taliban were deposed by the US in 2001 after refusing to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden for the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, which marked the beginning of the war. Meanwhile, the Afghan government under the patronage of the United States was established, but the Taliban were joined by thousands of militants, mainly from Pakistan, and the conflict persists till today. Withdrawal of the majority of the US forces from Afghanistan was announced for December 2014, but there still remains a large number of civilian casualties, according to the estimates between 18,000 and 20,000 and more than 2.2 million refugees and 650,000 internally displaced persons.
|