major wars of 20th century

Years 2001 2012 Battle deaths 4,538 The War on terrorism or War on terror (abbreviated in policy circles as GWOT for global war on terror) is a global effort by the governments of several countries (primarily the United States and its principal allies) to destroy international groups it deems as terrorist (primarily radical Islamist terrorist groups, including al Qaeda) and ensure rogue nations no longer support terrorist activities. It has been adopted as a consequence of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.The United States, with support from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the Northern Alliance, invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 as part of its War on Terrorism campaign. The military campaign, led by U.S. general Tommy Franks, was initially dubbed Operation Infinite Justice but quickly renamed Operation Enduring Freedom, due to perceived religious connotations of the former. British military operations against Afghanistan were codenamed Operation Veritas.According to the U.S., the purpose of Operation Enduring Freedom was to target Osama bin Laden, suspected of planning and funding the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack, and his terrorist network al Qaida, as well as the Taliban government in Afghanistan which allegedly provided support to al Qaida and gave them safe haven. Many journalists have reported that plans to attack al Qaida and the Taliban existed as early as the Clinton administration.