The US War in Afghanistan, also known as the “War on Terror,” began in response to which event?
a) September 11 attacks
b) Boston Marathon bombing
c) Oklahoma City bombing
d) USS Cole bombing
Answer: a) September 11 attacks
The primary objective of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan was to:
a) Overthrow the Afghan government
b) Eliminate poppy cultivation
c) Capture Osama bin Laden
d) Establish a new US military base
Answer: c) Capture Osama bin Laden
The Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group, gained control of Afghanistan in which year?
a) 1996
b) 2001
c) 2003
d) 2005
Answer: a) 1996
The US-led invasion of Afghanistan, known as Operation Enduring Freedom, began in:
a) 2001
b) 2002
c) 2003
d) 2004
Answer: a) 2001
The leader of al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the September 11 attacks, was:
a) Saddam Hussein
b) Muammar Gaddafi
c) Osama bin Laden
d) Ayman al-Zawahiri
Answer: c) Osama bin Laden
The Taliban regime was ousted from power in Afghanistan by:
a) US-led coalition forces
b) Afghan National Army
c) United Nations peacekeepers
d) Pakistani military
Answer: a) US-led coalition forces
The Bonn Agreement, signed in 2001, aimed to:
a) Establish democratic governance in Afghanistan
b) Secure the Afghan-Pakistani border
c) Extradite Osama bin Laden
d) Promote poppy cultivation
Answer: a) Establish democratic governance in Afghanistan
The Taliban found support from various elements, including:
a) Iran
b) Saudi Arabia
c) Pakistan
d) Turkey
Answer: c) Pakistan
The region of Afghanistan that became a stronghold for Taliban insurgents was:
a) Kandahar
b) Kabul
c) Herat
d) Mazar-i-Sharif
Answer: a) Kandahar
The NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, launched in 2003, was called:
a) Operation Desert Storm
b) Operation Iraqi Freedom
c) Operation Resolute Support
d) Operation Unified Protector
Answer: c) Operation Resolute Support
The Afghan National Army was established with the assistance of:
a) Pakistan
b) India
c) Russia
d) United States
Answer: d) United States
The US-led coalition’s efforts in Afghanistan were aimed at:
a) Promoting democracy and stability
b) Annexing Afghanistan as a US territory
c) Establishing a new communist regime
d) Controlling Afghan opium trade
Answer: a) Promoting democracy and stability
The Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law led to restrictions on:
a) Education for women
b) Trade with neighboring countries
c) Poppy cultivation
d) Religious freedom for minorities
Answer: a) Education for women
The US-led coalition initiated the “Clear, Hold, and Build” strategy in Afghanistan, focusing on:
a) Clearing poppy fields
b) Eliminating terrorist leaders
c) Capturing major cities
d) Securing territory and fostering development
Answer: d) Securing territory and fostering development
The city of Khost, a significant area of operation during the conflict, is located in which province of Afghanistan?
a) Helmand
b) Herat
c) Kandahar
d) Khost
Answer: d) Khost
The Haqqani Network, known for its ties to the Taliban, operated mainly in which region of Afghanistan?
a) North
b) West
c) East
d) South
Answer: c) East
The assassination of which Afghan political leader in 2001 played a role in destabilizing the country before the US-led invasion?
a) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
b) Hamid Karzai
c) Ahmed Shah Massoud
d) Ashraf Ghani
Answer: c) Ahmed Shah Massoud
The “surge” in US troops in Afghanistan was implemented during the administration of which US President?
a) George W. Bush
b) Barack Obama
c) Donald Trump
d) Joe Biden
Answer: b) Barack Obama
The “Green-on-Blue” attacks in Afghanistan refer to incidents involving:
a) Attacks on US military bases
b) Attacks by Afghan security forces on coalition forces
c) Attacks by Taliban on Afghan civilians
d) Attacks by US drones on terrorist targets
Answer: b) Attacks by Afghan security forces on coalition forces
The leader of the Afghan Taliban after the death of Mullah Mohammed Omar was:
a) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
b) Ayman al-Zawahiri
c) Jalaluddin Haqqani
d) Mullah Akhtar Mansoor
Answer: d) Mullah Akhtar Mansoor
The “Red Unit” of the Taliban is known for its specialization in:
a) Negotiating with Afghan government
b) Medical aid and humanitarian work
c) Suicide bombing attacks
d) High-profile assassinations
Answer: d) High-profile assassinations
The United States’ longest-running war, the War in Afghanistan, officially ended in:
a) 2011
b) 2014
c) 2021
d) 2022
Answer: c) 2021
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) also established a presence in Afghanistan, mainly in which province?
a) Nangarhar
b) Kandahar
c) Kunduz
d) Herat
Answer: a) Nangarhar
The assassination of which influential Afghan leader in 2021 escalated tensions and violence in the country?
a) Hamid Karzai
b) Abdullah Abdullah
c) Ashraf Ghani
d) Mullah Baradar
Answer: c) Ashraf Ghani
The Doha Agreement, signed in 2020, aimed to pave the way for:
a) US withdrawal from Afghanistan
b) Afghan government’s surrender to the Taliban
c) Formation of a new Taliban-led government
d) Joint US-Taliban military operations
Answer: a) US withdrawal from Afghanistan
The “Northern Distribution Network” was established to provide an alternative supply route to Afghanistan through:
a) Iran
b) Pakistan
c) Russia
d) Central Asian countries
Answer: d) Central Asian countries
The “Quetta Shura,” a leadership council of the Afghan Taliban, is named after a city in which country?
a) Afghanistan
b) Pakistan
c) Iran
d) Saudi Arabia
Answer: b) Pakistan
The US Special Forces operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden was conducted in which country?
a) Afghanistan
b) Pakistan
c) Iraq
d) Yemen
Answer: b) Pakistan
The “Afghanistan Papers,” published by The Washington Post, revealed widespread doubts about the US strategy and progress in Afghanistan. When were these papers published?
a) 2004
b) 2010
c) 2019
d) 2021
Answer: c) 2019
The “Khorasan Group,” an affiliate of ISIS in Afghanistan, is known for its involvement in:
a) Negotiating peace agreements
b) High-profile kidnappings
c) Bombing attacks
d) Cyber warfare
Answer: c) Bombing attacks
The Afghan government’s security forces, trained by international forces, are collectively referred to as the:
a) Taliban Army
b) Afghan Taliban
c) Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)
d) United Front
Answer: c) Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF)
The TAPI pipeline project aims to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India, passing through which Afghan province?
a) Kandahar
b) Nangarhar
c) Herat
d) Helmand
Answer: c) Herat
The US military’s detention facility in Afghanistan, notorious for human rights abuses, is known as:
a) Guantanamo Bay
b) Bagram Airfield
c) Abu Ghraib
d) Camp Bucca
Answer: b) Bagram Airfield
The “night raids,” controversial operations targeting insurgents, were often carried out by:
a) Afghan National Army
b) Afghan National Police
c) US Special Forces
d) UN peacekeepers
Answer: c) US Special Forces
The Afghan opium trade has been a major source of funding for various groups, including the Taliban. Which province is a significant opium-producing region?
a) Kandahar
b) Kabul
c) Herat
d) Kunduz
Answer: a) Kandahar
The first Afghan presidential elections after the US-led invasion were held in which year?
a) 2001
b) 2004
c) 2007
d) 2010
Answer: b) 2004
The leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, was killed in a US drone strike in which country?
a) Afghanistan
b) Pakistan
c) Iran
d) Yemen
Answer: b) Pakistan
The “Poppy for Medicine” program in Afghanistan aimed to:
a) Promote poppy cultivation for export
b) Eradicate poppy cultivation entirely
c) Transition from opium poppy to medicinal poppy cultivation
d) Encourage alternative livelihoods for farmers
Answer: c) Transition from opium poppy to medicinal poppy cultivation
The concept of “Afghanization” refers to the process of:
a) Transferring security responsibilities to Afghan forces
b) Fostering foreign investment in Afghanistan
c) Establishing a puppet government in Afghanistan
d) Imposing strict Sharia law in Afghanistan
Answer: a) Transferring security responsibilities to Afghan forces
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan in 2007 had implications for stability in both Pakistan and Afghanistan due to her influence and opposition to:
a) The Afghan government
b) The Taliban
c) US military presence
d) Afghan opium production
Answer: b) The Taliban
The NATO-led mission in Afghanistan transitioned from a combat mission to a training and advisory role in 2015. What is the name of this mission?
a) Operation Desert Storm
b) Operation Freedom’s Sentinel
c) Operation Iraqi Freedom
d) Operation Enduring Freedom
Answer: b) Operation Freedom’s Sentinel
The “bounty program” controversy involved allegations that US intelligence agencies offered rewards for:
a) Capturing high-value Taliban and al-Qaeda targets
b) Encouraging Afghan farmers to grow crops other than poppies
c) Promoting the use of renewable energy sources in Afghanistan
d) Distributing humanitarian aid to Afghan refugees
Answer: a) Capturing high-value Taliban and al-Qaeda targets
The US military’s strategy in Afghanistan has faced criticism for creating a “whack-a-mole” effect, where militant groups disperse and re-emerge in response to:
a) Increased diplomatic efforts
b) International peacekeeping missions
c) Military offensives
d) Humanitarian aid initiatives
Answer: c) Military offensives
The “Golden Crescent” refers to the region known for being a major hub of:
a) Islamic cultural exchange
b) Regional diplomacy
c) Opium production and trafficking
d) Precious metal mining
Answer: c) Opium production and trafficking
The Afghan-Pakistani border region, known as the “Durand Line,” has been a source of tension between the two countries. Who originally demarcated this border?
a) United Nations
b) British colonial authorities
c) Soviet Union
d) Afghan tribal leaders
Answer: b) British colonial authorities
The Taliban regime’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 was condemned internationally as an act of:
a) Cultural preservation
b) Religious tolerance
c) Iconoclasm
d) Counterterrorism
Answer: c) Iconoclasm
The assassination of Afghan women’s rights activist Malalai Kakar in 2008 underscored the challenges faced by:
a) Tribal leaders
b) Religious clerics
c) Humanitarian aid workers
d) Women in Afghanistan
Answer: d) Women in Afghanistan
The concept of “pashtunwali” is important in understanding the cultural norms and social dynamics of the:
a) Hazara ethnic group
b) Uighur minority
c) Pashtun ethnic group
d) Tajik ethnic group
Answer: c) Pashtun ethnic group
The US invasion of Afghanistan and subsequent war led to significant numbers of Afghan refugees seeking shelter mainly in which neighboring country?
a) Iran
b) Pakistan
c) India
d) Tajikistan
Answer: b) Pakistan
The end of the US War in Afghanistan resulted in the Taliban regaining control of the country and the collapse of the Afghan government. The withdrawal led to the evacuation of the US embassy and the return of Taliban rule. This event occurred in which year?
a) 2001
b) 2010
c) 2021
d) 2022
Answer: c) 2021
