April 2002, Condoleezza Rice: “With the Taliban eliminated and al Qaeda badly damaged, we have moved into the second stage of our war on terror.”
July 2002, George W. Bush: “In Afghanistan we defeated the Taliban regime, but that was just the first step.”
September 2002, George W. Bush: “The Taliban’s ability to brutalize the Afghan people and to harbor and support terrorists has been virtually eliminated.”
May 2003, George W. Bush: “In the battle of Afghanistan, nations from central and eastern Europe supplied soldiers and special forces and peacekeepers to help defeat the Taliban, to help destroy the terrorists and to bring freedom to the Afghan people.”
September 2004, George W. Bush: “And as a result of the United States military, the Taliban no longer is in existence. And the people of Afghanistan are now free.”
December 2004, George W. Bush: “In Afghanistan, America and our allies, with a historically small force and a brilliant strategy, defeated the Taliban in just a few short weeks.”
October 2005, George W. Bush: “Over the years, these extremists have used a litany of excuses for violence: the Israeli presence on the West Bank or the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia or the defeat of the Taliban or the Crusades of a thousand years ago.”