The Battle of Tora Bora occurred from 30 November to 17 December 2001, as part of the United States invasion of Afghanistan during the war in Afghanistan. It took place around the cave complex of Tora Bora in the Safed Koh mountain range, near Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan. In the battle, the U.S., British, German, and allied Afghan troops fought al-Qaeda; the Taliban, who controlled the country's government; and other Islamic extremists.
Led by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda conducted terrorist suicide attacks against the U.S. on September 11, 2001. The U.S. quickly launched a global "war on terror", which included a manhunt for bin Laden, and the invasion of Afghanistan, where the Taliban had allowed al-Qaeda to headquarter. The invasion began on October 7; the U.S. was supported by a multinational coalition.
On November 10, the CIA tracked bin Laden to Tora Bora. In the 1980s, the complex had been used by the Afghan mujahideen to repel the Soviet soldiers who were invading Afghanistan. Prior to 2001, Bin Laden had been fortifying it for years.
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.