Life in the United States changed forever after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Less than a year after being elected to the White House, George W. Bush led the nation into a new "war on terror" in response to those attacks. For Bush, wartime could come at any time and any place where terrorists based their operations against Americans.
Bush struck first by sending troops into Afghanistan to bring al-Qaida terrorists to justice who helped plan the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He addressed a television audience on October 7, 2001, to announce that troops had begun engaging military targets in Afghanistan in an operation known as Operation Enduring Freedom.
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These five quotes highlight what drove Bush to go into Afghanistan and began the War on Terror that has continued since 2001:
1. It is a War Against Terrorists, Not Afghanistan or Islam.
"The United States of America is a friend to the Afghan people, and we are the friends of almost a billion worldwide who practice the Islamic faith. The United States of America is an enemy of those who aid terrorists and of the barbaric criminals who profane a great religion by committing murder in its name."
2. Governments Who Harbor Terrorists Will Be Held Responsible.
"Today, we focus on Afghanistan, but the battle is broader. Every nation has a choice to make. In this conflict, there is no neutral ground. If any government sponsors the outlaws and killers of innocence, they have become outlaws and murderers themselves. And they will take that lonely path at their own peril."
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3. Terrorists Forced America to Take Action to Stop Them.
"We're a peaceful nation. Yet, as we have learned, so suddenly and so tragically, there can be no peace in a world of sudden terror. In the face of today's new threat, the only way to pursue peace is to pursue those who threaten it. We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it."
4. Soldiers in This Fight are Drawn From the Best of Our Communities.
"We ask a lot of those who wear our uniform. We ask them to leave their loved ones, to travel great distances, to risk injury, even to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. They are dedicated. They are honorable. They represent the best of our country, and we are grateful."
5. Fight Against Terrorism Will Not End Until It is Eliminated.
"Since September 11, an entire generation of young Americans has gained new understanding of the value of freedom and its cost and duty and its sacrifice. The battle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waiver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail."
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