A decades-long conflict in Afghanistan, triggered by the U.S. invasion following the 9/11 attacks, has left deep scars—particularly among civilians—after two decades of fighting. Journalists recently spoke with three veterans who served in the war, offering firsthand accounts of their experiences. The human cost of the prolonged military engagement remains a defining chapter in both Afghan and American history. Their stories provide a rare glimpse into the personal toll of a war that reshaped a nation.
Already scarred by decades of war, Afghanistan became the center of America's response to 9/11 after the Taliban harbored the men who planned the attacks. Over 20 years of what's known there as "The American War," hundreds of thousands, mostly civilians, died. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and videographer Eric O'Connor spoke with three men who fought in that war.
