Resolute Support Mission in the context of "2021 Taliban offensive"

The Taliban, which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is an Afghan political and militant organization with an ideology comprising elements of the Deobandi movement of Islamic fundamentalism and Pashtun nationalism. It ruled approximately 90% of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before it was overthrown by an American-led invasion after the September 11 attacks carried out by the Taliban's ally al-Qaeda. Following a 20-year insurgency and the departure of coalition forces, the Taliban recaptured Kabul in August 2021, overthrowing the Islamic Republic, and now controls all of Afghanistan. The Taliban has been condemned for restricting human rights, including women's rights to work and have an education, and for the persecution of ethnic minorities. It is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, and the Taliban government is largely unrecognized by the international community.

The Taliban emerged in 1994 as a prominent faction in the Second Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) and largely consisted of warlords from the Pashtun areas of eastern and southern Afghanistan. Under the leadership of Mullah Omar, the movement spread through most of Afghanistan, shifting power away from the Islamic State of Afghanistan, as well as other Mujahideen militants. The Taliban seized Kabul in 1996 and established the First Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan that was opposed by the Northern Alliance, which maintained international recognition as a continuation of the Islamic State.

The Sultan Ghiyassuddin Ghori Airport (Dari: فرودگاه سلطان غیاث الدین غوری; Pashto: د سلطان غیاث الدین غوري هوايي ډګر; IATA: CCN, ICAO: OACC), also known as Chaghcharan Airport (sometimes rendered Chakhcharan or Shahid General Mohaiden Ghory Airport), is located in the eastern section of Chaghcharan (Feroz Koh), the capital of Ghor Province in Afghanistan. Named after the Ghurid sultan Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad (also rendered Ghiyassuddin Ghori), who expanded Ghurid power across the region in the late 12th century, it is a domestic airport under the country's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.

Sitting at an elevation of 7,475 ft (2,278 m) above sea level, the airport has one asphalt runway (06/24) measuring 6,565 ft × 98 ft (2,001 m × 30 m) (approximately 2,001 m × 30 m (6,565 ft × 98 ft)). The Hari River runs south and east of the airport. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and later the NATO Resolute Support Mission used the facility during the international security mission until late 2014.

Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS) was the official name used by the U.S. government for the mission succeeding Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in continuation of the War in Afghanistan as part of the larger global war on terrorism. Operation Freedom's Sentinel was part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission, which began on January 1, 2015. OFS had two components: counterterrorism and working with allies as part of Resolute Support.

There were 16,551 NATO and non-NATO troops in Afghanistan around February 2020. Around June 2020, that number dropped to 15,937. In February 2021, there were 9,592 NATO and non-NATO troops in Afghanistan.