And then 1386, 20DEC01; something here at last.
Acting for these reasons under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
1. Authorizes, as envisaged in Annex 1 to the Bonn Agreement, the establishment for 6 months of an International Security Assistance Force to assist the Afghan Interim Authority in the maintenance of security in Kabul and its surrounding areas, so that the Afghan Interim Authority as well as the personnel of
the United Nations can operate in a secure environment;
2. Calls upon Member States to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources to the International Security Assistance Force, and invites those MemberStates to inform the leadership of the Force and the Secretary-General;
3. Authorizes the Member States participating in the International Security Assistance Force to take all necessary measures to fulfil its mandate;
4. Calls upon the International Security Assistance Force to work in close consultation with the Afghan Interim Authority in the implementation of the force mandate, as well as with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General;
Note the date, 20 December 2001. The gist of it is to supply troops for a security zone based around Kabul. Not exactly the removal of the Taliban, is it?
Surely, though, you remember the start of Operation Enduring Freedom?
OEF commenced on Oct. 7, 2001. Early combat operations included a mix of air strikes from land-based B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers; carrier-based F-14 and F/A-18 fighters; and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from both U.S. and British ships and submarines.
The initial military objectives of Operation Enduring Freedom, as articulated by President George W. Bush in his Sept. 20th Address to a Joint Session of Congress and his Oct. 7th address to country, include the destruction of terrorist training camps and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al Qaeda leaders, and the cessation of terrorist activities in Afghanistan.....
...By October 20, 2001 US and Coalition forces had destroyed virtually all Taliban air defenses and had conducted a highly successful direct action mission on the residence of Mullah Omar in the middle of the Taliban capital, Qandahar.
During this time frame Special Forces detachments linked up with Anti-Taliban leaders and coordinated operational fires and logistics support on multiple fronts.
Twenty days later, the provincial capital of Mazar-e Sharif fell. In rapid succession, Herat, Kabul, and Jalalabad followed.
By mid- December, US Marines had secured Qandahar Airport and the Taliban capital was in the hands of Anti-Taliban forces. Within weeks the Taliban and Al Qaida were reduced to isolated pockets of fighters.
On 22 December Franks traveled to Kabul to attend a ceremony marking the inauguration of the Afghan interim government -- 78 days after the beginning of combat operations.
I think your original statement
GScholzThe war against Afghanistan was UN approved.
could only be considered correct on a post facto basis. It was OVER by the time the UN decided to jump on board.
Which, as we've discussed before, is why many here feel the UN is essentially worthless when the stuff hits the fan. Good with earthquakes and vaccinations but when the going gets UN tough, the UN ...... does nothing.
Or as some think of it, when the going gets tough, they send for the SOB's. And we all know who's phone rings when the going gets tough. It sure doesn't ring at the UN.
No, I didn't forget. I was writing this when you answered. Point is, the heavy lifting was OVER by the time the UN even authorised a "security force". As usual.
