Tomahawk cruise missile launched from USS Philippine Sea against Afghanistan on 7 October 2001

Operation Enduring Freedom at 25: The First Night of Air Strikes on Afghanistan

by Joseph Duncan | Oct 4, 2026 | History & Legends, Military Aviation | 0 comments

Twenty-five years ago this Wednesday, on the night of 7 October 2001, the first bombs of the war in Afghanistan began to fall. Some of them had been carried by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers that had flown all the way from Missouri, aircraft that would not be back home for almost three days.

It was the opening night of Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led response to the attacks of 11 September. In the space of one night, a combination of B-2s, B-52s, B-1Bs, carrier-based F-14 Tomcats, and cruise missiles from American and British ships and submarines struck 31 targets across Afghanistan.

By morning, the Taliban's small air force and almost all of its air defences had ceased to exist. It also marked a quieter first: the first armed strike ever flown by a CIA Predator drone.

Quick Facts

Operation: Enduring Freedom; air campaign codenamed Crescent Wind
Opening night: 7 October 2001
Targets struck: 31 across Afghanistan, according to US Army history
Bombers: B-2 Spirit from Whiteman AFB, plus B-52s and B-1Bs
Carriers: USS Carl Vinson and USS Enterprise (F-14 Tomcats, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes)
Cruise missiles: Tomahawks from US Navy ships and Royal Navy submarines
Record: B-2 crews flew missions of up to 44 hours 20 minutes, the longest combat bombing sorties in history
First: First armed strike by a CIA MQ-1 Predator drone

"On my orders"

In Washington it was early afternoon on a Sunday. President George W. Bush appeared on television from the White House shortly after the strikes began.

“On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.”

President George W. Bush — Address to the nation, 7 October 2001

He added that the United States was "joined in this operation by our staunch friend, Great Britain." Royal Navy submarines HMS Trafalgar and HMS Triumph were among the vessels firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, alongside American cruisers and destroyers such as USS Philippine Sea.

PBS NewsHour's archive of President Bush's full address announcing the first US strikes in Afghanistan on 7 October 2001.

The 44-hour bomb run

The most extraordinary flights of the night began half a world away. Two B-2 Spirit bombers of the 509th Bomb Wing took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, refuelling off California, near Hawaii, near Guam, over the Strait of Malacca and near Diego Garcia before reaching Afghanistan with satellite-guided GBU-31 JDAM bombs.

It took around 30 hours just to reach the targets. After the strike, the bombers refuelled again over the Indian Ocean and landed at a forward base, where fresh crews took over to fly them home to Missouri. The longest of the original crews' missions lasted 44 hours and 20 minutes, still the longest combat bombing sorties ever flown. Two more B-2s followed on each of the next two nights.

How B-2 crews endured 44 hours in the cockpit: a breakdown of the record-setting Enduring Freedom missions.

B-52H bomber refuelled from a hot pit during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 — A B-52H of the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing is refuelled for a combat mission over Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001. US Air Force photo

Tomcats and an air force destroyed on the ground

Behind the B-2s came B-52s and B-1Bs, and strike packages from two aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea. F-14D Tomcats of VF-213 "Black Lions" flew from USS Carl Vinson with laser-guided GBU-12 and GBU-16 bombs, and still carried AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles in case any Taliban fighters got airborne. USS Enterprise joined within hours with more F-14s of VF-41 and EA-6B Prowlers of VAQ-141.

None did. The Taliban were believed to have about 50 MiG-21s and Su-22s and around 40 pilots able to fly them. Most of that force, along with old SA-2 and SA-3 missile sites, radars and command posts, was destroyed on the first night. Some crews reported anti-aircraft fire and shoulder-launched missiles, but no American aircraft was lost.

F-14D Tomcat of VF-213 launching from USS Carl Vinson in October 2001 — An F-14D Tomcat of VF-213 "Black Lions" launches from USS Carl Vinson on 10 October 2001, three days into the Enduring Freedom air campaign. US Navy photo

The first armed drone strike

One of the most consequential flights that night carried no crew at all. A CIA-operated MQ-1 Predator, armed with Hellfire missiles, was watching a compound linked to the Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar near Kandahar. When a request to bomb a building where analysts believed he was hiding was refused over fears of civilian casualties and uncertainty about his presence, the Predator fired a Hellfire at a vehicle outside instead. Omar escaped.

It was the first armed strike ever flown by a Predator, and the beginning of the era of drone warfare that would define the next two decades.

“We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it.”

President George W. Bush — Address to the nation, 7 October 2001

Within weeks the Northern Alliance, backed by American special forces calling in air strikes, swept the Taliban from power. The war that began on 7 October 2001 would last almost twenty years, ending with the American withdrawal from Kabul in August 2021.

AP Archive footage of the start of Operation Enduring Freedom on 7 October 2001.

Sources: White House archive (address of 7 October 2001), Wikipedia (Operation Crescent Wind; US invasion of Afghanistan), US Army Center of Military History, PBS NewsHour, AP Archive

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the air war in Afghanistan begin?

The air campaign in Afghanistan began on the night of 7 October 2001, launching Operation Enduring Freedom. US and British forces struck 31 targets across the country with bombers, carrier aircraft and cruise missiles, less than a month after the attacks of 11 September 2001.

How long were the B-2 missions over Afghanistan in 2001?

B-2 Spirit bombers flew from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Afghanistan, refuelling several times. It took about 30 hours to reach the targets, and the longest original crew mission lasted 44 hours and 20 minutes, the longest combat bombing sortie in history.

Which aircraft flew on the opening night of Operation Enduring Freedom?

The opening night involved B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers, F-14 Tomcats from USS Carl Vinson and USS Enterprise, EA-6B Prowler jammers, and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from US Navy ships and Royal Navy submarines.

What happened to the Taliban air force in 2001?

The Taliban were believed to have around 50 MiG-21 and Su-22 fighters and about 40 pilots. Most of these aircraft, together with old SA-2 and SA-3 missile sites, radars and command centres, were destroyed on the first night of strikes on 7 October 2001. None got airborne.

When was the first armed drone strike?

The first armed strike by a CIA MQ-1 Predator drone took place on the opening night of the Afghanistan campaign, 7 October 2001, when a Predator fired a Hellfire missile at a vehicle near a compound linked to Taliban leader Mullah Omar near Kandahar. Omar escaped.

What did President Bush say on 7 October 2001?

In his address to the nation on 7 October 2001, President George W. Bush said that, on his orders, the US military had begun strikes against al Qaeda training camps and Taliban military installations in Afghanistan, adding that the United States was joined by Great Britain.

Can I fly in a MiG-21?

Yes. MiGFlug offers supersonic MiG-21 flights in Florida for a limited time, and they are the only flights that let civilians break the sound barrier. The flights typically reach about Mach 1.3, roughly 1,000 mph. Details and booking are on the MiG-21 flight page.