The document summarizes the Middle East conflicts involving the U.S. since 2001. It describes the 9/11 attacks carried out by Al Qaeda, the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to find Osama Bin Laden, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq over suspected weapons of mass destruction. While Bin Laden was killed in 2011, the U.S. is still involved militarily in Afghanistan and Iraq with the goal of establishing stable governments and preventing threats from Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
1. Middle East Wars
SS7H2 The student will analyze continuity and change in
Southwest Asia (Middle East) leading to the 21st century..
c. Describe how land and religion are reasons for continuing
conflicts in Southwest Asia (Middle East).
d. Explain U.S. presence and interest in Southwest Asia;
include the Persian Gulf conflict and invasions of Afghanistan
and Iraq.
2. 9/11
Al Qaeda
• On the morning of September
11, 2001 Al Qaeda (a group of
Islamic extremists) hijacked four
planes and crashed two of them
into the World Trade Center,
crashed one into the Pentagon,
and the fourth one crashed in a
rural area.
3. Osama Bin Laden
• Al Qaeda was headed by
a man named Osama Bin
Laden.
• Bin Laden was a man
born in Saudi that made
his way into Afghanistan.
4. The Taliban
• Afghanistan had no real
government and a group
of people called the
Taliban had controlled
much of the country.
• President Bush had
demanded that the
Taliban hand over Osama
Bin Laden for ordering
the attacks on America.
• The Taliban refused
6. War with Afghanistan
October 2001 the
United States
invaded Afghanistan
in search of Osama
bin Laden.
By November the
capital of Kabul had
fallen.
Many of the Taliban
forces were forced
to retreat into the
countryside.
7. Results
• The U.S. to this day still
has troops in Afghanistan
to hold back the Taliban.
• May 2011 Bin Laden was
found hiding in Pakistan
and was killed by U.S.
forces.
8. Iraq War
• When the Persian Gulf
war ended Iraq was told it
could not produce
weapons of mass
destruction.
• After the war with
Afghanistan the U.S.
believed it had
information that Saddam
Hussein was producing
WMDs (Weapons of
Mass Destruction)
• They also believed that
Saddam may have had
connections with Al
Qaeda.
9. • The United States had
the United Nations probe
Iraq for WMDs.
• Iraq would not produce
any weapons by their
March 17, 2003 deadline.
• Congress then passed a
resolution allowing the
United States to lead an
attack on Iraq.
• The United States
invaded Iraq and Saddam
Hussein was captured.
10. Results
• Saddam Hussein was put
on trial for killing
thousands of his own
people and using
chemical weapons on the
Kurds and Iranians
• As of today no weapons
of mass destruction have
been found and the US
government is still in Iraq
but no longer in combat.
Saddam Hussein was
found guilty and
sentenced to death in
2006.
• The U.S. officially ended
combat in Iraq in 2010.
11. • "Operation Iraqi Freedom is
over, and the Iraqi people
now have lead responsibility
for the security of their
country," the president said
in a newly remodeled Oval • 1- What do you think
Office. "Only Iraqis can President Obama is
resolve their differences and inferring about the future
police their streets. Only of Iraq?
Iraqis can build a
democracy within their
borders. What America can
do, and will do, is provide
support for the Iraqi people
as both a friend and a
partner."
•
