February 17: 2008 Kandahar bombing kills 100 people, the deadliest suicide bombing of the war.
February 26: a DanishLeopard 2 was hit by an explosive device, damaging one track. No one was injured and the tank returned to camp on its own for repairs.[1]
The U.S. government suspended, on March 27, 2008, AEY Inc. of Miami, Florida, a company hired by the U.S. military, for violating its contract. The company is accused of supplying corroded Chinese surplus ammunition made from 1962–1974, instead of the higher-quality Hungarian-made ammo from MFS 2000 Inc, to the Afghan National Army and police. United States Army-documents showed that since 2004 the company entered agreements with the U.S. government that totaled about $10 million. The papers also revealed the company received much larger orders in 2007 with contracts totaling more than $200 million to supply ammunition, assault rifles, and other weapons. Army criminal investigators were sent to look at the packages in January 2008. The House Oversight Committee announced plans to hold a hearing into the matter on April 17, 2008,[2] at which the 22-year-old international arms dealer Efraim Diveroli and president of AEY Inc would face a congressional inquiry.[3][4] The committee reported in June 2008.[5]
April 4 - Mikhail Krotov, General Secretary of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States, said that Afghanistan indicated its desire to become a CIS member.[6][7] Afghanistan's parliament had an observeser status in the Assembly since 2006.
On April 27, Karzai escaped another attempt on his life: gunmen opened fire during a military parade celebrating the 1992 victory of the Mujahideen over the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan communist government. The firefight lasted about a quarter of an hour, with 3 dead and over 10 wounded.[8]
On April 29, 2,300 U.S. Marines assaulted the town of Garmsir in Helmand province, a region of Afghanistan where the Taliban had a stronghold.[9]
July 5: A Danish Leopard 2A5 hit an IED in Helmand Province, resulting in the driver's death. During the same contact with Taliban forces, a second tank was caught in an explosion but none of the crew were wounded.[11]
What made the Afghan campaign a landmark in the U.S. Military's history is that it was prosecuted by Special Operations forces from all the services, along with Navy and Air Force tactical power, operations by the Afghan Northern Alliance and the CIA were equally important and fully integrated. No large Army or Marine force was employed.[12]
On October 1, 2008, the top American general in Afghanistan, David McKiernan, warned that the situation in Afghanistan could get a lot worse. The international forces within Afghanistan have not been able to hold territory they have cleared because of the lack of troops. For this reason the general called for an extra three combat brigades (roughly 20,000 troops). Without this urgent rush of troops the Taliban would be able to get back into the communities that were once cleared by international troops. The general went on to say that things could get a lot worse before they get better.[13]
On October 1, 2008, a suspected U.S. drone fired a missile against militants inside Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province near the Afghan border. It is believed that six people died in the incident. Attacks of such have drawn a stiff response from Islamabad, accusing the United States of violating their airspace.[14]
December 19: US vows to send 3,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
On December 30, 2008, Pakistani security forces shut down the supply line when they launched an offensive against Taliban militants who dominate the Khyber Pass region.[15] After three days of fighting, they declared the Khyber Pass open.[16]