The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in the cave complex of Tora Bora, eastern Afghanistan, from November 30 – December 17, 2001, during the final stages of the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was launched by the United States and its allies with the objective to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant organization al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden were suspected of being responsible for the September 11 attacks three months prior. Tora Bora (Pashto: تورا بورا; Black Cave) is located in the Spīn Ghar mountain range near the Khyber Pass. The U.S. stated that al-Qaeda had its headquarters there and that it was bin Laden's location at the time.
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Tora Bora in the context of Fall of Kabul (2001)
Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, fell in November 2001 to the Northern Alliance forces during the war in Afghanistan. Northern Alliance forces began their attack on the city on 13 November and made swift progress against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces that were heavily weakened by American and British air strikes. The advance moved ahead of plans, and the next day the Northern Alliance forces (supported by Operational Detachment Alpha 555 of the U.S. Army Special Forces) entered Kabul and met no resistance inside the city. Taliban forces retreated to Kandahar in the south.
Coupled with the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif five days earlier, the capture of Kabul was a significant blow to Taliban control of Afghanistan. As a result of all the losses, surviving members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden, retreated toward Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace and home of the Taliban movement, and Tora Bora.