War in Afghanistan — Commanders: 100-Question Quiz Pack

1. Which commander oversaw the NATO 'Resolute Support' mission in its early phase? A) John Campbell B) David McKiernan C) Karl Eikenberry 2. Who was the long-time President of Afghanistan during the 2001-2014 period? A) Ashraf Ghani B) Hamid Karzai C) Abdullah Abdullah 3. Which US General was the last commander of US forces in Afghanistan? A) Austin Miller B) Curtis Scaparrotti C) Mark Milley 4. Who served as the leader of the Taliban movement until his death in 2013? A) Hibatullah Akhundzada B) Mullah Omar C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 5. Which US General commanded the 'surge' in Afghanistan starting in 2009? A) Stanley McChrystal B) Austin Miller C) Joseph Dunford 6. Who was the first commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in 2001? A) John Allen B) John McColl C) David Petraeus 7. Who was the chief of the Afghan National Army in 2021? A) Hibatullah Alizai B) Bismillah Khan Mohammadi C) Wali Ahmadzai 8. Which General led the first major offensive in Helmand province in 2009? A) Lawrence Nicholson B) Larry James C) David McKiernan 9. Who was the US Secretary of Defense at the start of the war in 2001? A) Robert Gates B) Donald Rumsfeld C) Dick Cheney 10. Which leader was known as the 'Lion of Panjshir'? A) Ahmad Shah Massoud B) Ahmad Massoud C) Bismillah Khan 11. Who was the Taliban leader after Mullah Akhtar Mansour? A) Mullah Baradar B) Hibatullah Akhundzada C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 12. Which US General succeeded John Allen as commander of ISAF? A) Joseph Dunford B) Lloyd Austin C) James Mattis 13. Who commanded the 101st Airborne Division during their deployment in Afghanistan? A) David Petraeus B) Stanley McChrystal C) John Campbell 14. Which Afghan official served as Vice President and briefly as Acting President? A) Amrullah Saleh B) Mohammad Yunus Qanuni C) Karim Khalili 15. Who was the ISAF commander in 2003 when the mission expanded beyond Kabul? A) Gotz Gliemeroth B) Karl Eikenberry C) Ray Odierno 16. Which NATO country besides the US provided the most troops during the peak of the war? A) Germany B) United Kingdom C) France 17. Who was the head of the Haqqani Network during the war? A) Jalaluddin Haqqani B) Sirajuddin Haqqani C) Mullah Dadullah 18. Which US General served two separate stints as a commander in Afghanistan? A) Joseph Dunford B) John Allen C) David Petraeus 19. Who commanded the Northern Alliance forces that captured Mazar-i-Sharif in 2001? A) Abdul Rashid Dostum B) Mohammed Fahim C) Ismail Khan 20. Which US official was the lead negotiator for the 2020 Doha Agreement? A) Zalmay Khalilzad B) Mike Pompeo C) John Bolton 21. Who was the President of Afghanistan at the time of the 2021 Taliban takeover? A) Hamid Karzai B) Ashraf Ghani C) Amrullah Saleh 22. Which US General served as ISAF commander from 2008 to 2009? A) Dan McNeill B) David McKiernan C) William Westmoreland 23. Who was the leader of the Northern Alliance assassinated just before 9/11? A) Ahmad Shah Massoud B) Abdul Rashid Dostum C) Burhanuddin Rabbani 24. Which General served as commander of ISAF from 2010 to 2011 after McChrystal? A) David Petraeus B) James Mattis C) Lloyd Austin 25. Who was the Taliban leader killed in a US drone strike in 2016? A) Mullah Akhtar Mansour B) Mullah Baradar C) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 26. Who became the supreme leader of the Taliban in 2016? A) Hibatullah Akhundzada B) Mullah Baradar C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 27. Which U.S. General was the first to hold the title of Commander of the Resolute Support Mission? A) John Campbell B) Joseph Dunford C) Scott Miller 28. Who was the head of the Afghan Intelligence agency, the NDS, for many years? A) Amrullah Saleh B) Ashraf Ghani C) Hamid Karzai 29. Which NATO country held the command of the ISAF mission in 2003, their first time in an operation outside Europe? A) Germany B) France C) NATO itself 30. Who served as the U.S. Vice President throughout the majority of the Afghanistan war? A) Dick Cheney B) Joe Biden C) Mike Pence 31. Which Taliban leader was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in 2016? A) Akhtar Mansour B) Mullah Omar C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 32. Who was the U.S. General who served as the commander of the Resolute Support Mission from 2016 to 2018? A) John Nicholson B) David Petraeus C) Austin Miller 33. Which Afghan commander helped lead the Northern Alliance to take Mazar-i-Sharif in 2001? A) Atta Muhammad Nur B) Ashraf Ghani C) Karim Khalili 34. Who was the U.S. commander who led the mission that killed Osama bin Laden? A) William McRaven B) Stanley McChrystal C) David Petraeus 35. Which leader served as the Taliban's chief negotiator in the Doha peace talks? A) Mullah Baradar B) Mullah Omar C) Akhtar Mansour 36. Who was the Afghan leader who fled Kabul as the Taliban entered in August 2021? A) Ashraf Ghani B) Hamid Karzai C) Gul Agha Sherzai 37. Which U.S. Admiral served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the early 2010s? A) Mike Mullen B) James Stavridis C) William McRaven 38. Who was the Taliban's primary military strategist and head of the Haqqani Network? A) Sirajuddin Haqqani B) Mullah Baradar C) Mullah Mansour 39. Which Afghan official became the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation in 2020? A) Hamid Karzai B) Abdullah Abdullah C) Amrullah Saleh 40. Who served as the top U.S. commander during the initial 2001 invasion of Afghanistan? A) Tommy Franks B) Norman Schwarzkopf C) Colin Powell 41. Which warlord and Vice President of Afghanistan was a major military figure for decades? A) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar B) Abdul Rashid Dostum C) Mohammad Fahim 42. Who was the U.S. Secretary of Defense who oversaw the final withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021? A) Lloyd Austin B) James Mattis C) Mark Esper 43. Which U.S. General oversaw the transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces ending in 2014? A) David Petraeus B) Joseph Dunford C) Karl Eikenberry 44. Who led the Northern Alliance forces before being assassinated just before 9/11? A) Abdul Rashid Dostum B) Ahmad Shah Massoud C) Burhanuddin Rabbani 45. Which U.S. General was the last commander of the NATO mission in Afghanistan? A) Scott Miller B) John Nicholson C) Mark Milley 46. Who served as the first President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan after the Taliban fell? A) Ashraf Ghani B) Hamid Karzai C) Abdullah Abdullah 47. Which U.S. General was known for his 'surge' strategy and later became CIA director? A) David Petraeus B) Joseph Dunford C) John Campbell 48. Who was the leader of the Taliban at the start of the U.S. invasion in 2001? A) Hibatullah Akhundzada B) Mullah Omar C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 49. Which U.S. General served as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan during the 2009 troop surge? A) Stanley McChrystal B) Tommy Franks C) Austin Miller 50. Who was the first commander of the ISAF mission in 2001? A) David Petraeus B) John McColl C) Stanley McChrystal 51. Who was the U.S. General that argued against immediate withdrawal in 2008? A) David McKiernan B) Tommy Franks C) George Casey 52. Which military coalition was responsible for security in Afghanistan? A) ISAF B) SEATO C) CENTO 53. Who was the Afghan president when the Taliban returned to power in 2021? A) Ashraf Ghani B) Hamid Karzai C) Abdullah Abdullah 54. Which U.S. commander led the surge in Southern Afghanistan? A) Stanley McChrystal B) David Petraeus C) James Mattis 55. Who was the head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar? A) Mullah Baradar B) Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai C) Mullah Omar 56. Who was the first post-Taliban president of Afghanistan? A) Hamid Karzai B) Ashraf Ghani C) Burhanuddin Rabbani 57. Which Afghan leader was the former governor of Herat? A) Ismail Khan B) Hamid Karzai C) Ashraf Ghani 58. Who was the U.S. General that led the transition from combat to advising in 2014? A) John Campbell B) Austin Miller C) David McKiernan 59. What title did the top Taliban leader hold? A) President B) Emir C) Caliph 60. Who commanded the Resolute Support Mission in 2016-2018? A) John Nicholson B) Joseph Votel C) Carter Ham 61. Which Afghan political leader commanded a powerful militia in northern Afghanistan? A) Abdul Rashid Dostum B) Ismail Khan C) Atta Muhammad Nur 62. Who was the leader of the Haqqani Network during the war? A) Sirajuddin Haqqani B) Jalaluddin Haqqani C) Anas Haqqani 63. Which U.S. General was known for his 'heart and minds' counterinsurgency manual? A) David Petraeus B) John Nicholson C) Terry Nicholson 64. Who succeeded Mullah Omar as the supreme leader of the Taliban? A) Mullah Akhtar Mansoor B) Hibatullah Akhundzada C) Mullah Baradar 65. Which NATO official served as the civilian representative in Afghanistan for many years? A) Jens Stoltenberg B) Stefano Pontecorvo C) Jaap de Hoop Scheffer 66. Who served as the Minister of Defense for the Afghan government during its final months? A) Bismillah Khan Mohammadi B) Asadullah Khalid C) Tariq Shah Bahrami 67. Which U.S. General famously called the Afghanistan war a 'long war'? A) John Abizaid B) David Petraeus C) Lloyd Austin 68. Who was the long-serving leader of the Afghan National Army's special forces? A) Bismillah Khan Mohammadi B) Sami Sadat C) Abdul Rashid Dostum 69. Which commander took over ISAF after McChrystal was relieved of duty in 2010? A) David Petraeus B) John Allen C) Mark Milley 70. Who was the primary military commander for the Northern Alliance during the 2001 offensive? A) Ahmed Shah Massoud B) Hamid Karzai C) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 71. Which U.S. General was the final commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan? A) Scott Miller B) John Campbell C) Curtis Scaparrotti 72. Who was the leader of the Taliban movement until his death was reported in 2013? A) Haibatullah Akhundzada B) Mullah Omar C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 73. Who served as the commander of U.S. Central Command during the initial invasion in 2001? A) Tommy Franks B) James Mattis C) Joseph Dunford 74. Which U.S. General oversaw the surge of troops in Afghanistan starting in 2009? A) Stanley McChrystal B) Tommy Franks C) Austin Miller 75. Who was the first commander of the ISAF mission in 2001? A) David Petraeus B) John McColl C) Stanley McChrystal 76. Who was the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal? A) Ryan Crocker B) Zalmay Khalilzad C) Ross Wilson 77. Which military official was the Afghan Minister of Defense during the 2021 fall of Kabul? A) Bismillah Khan Mohammadi B) Abdul Rahim Wardak C) Asadullah Khalid 78. Who became the leader of the Taliban after Mullah Omar's death was confirmed? A) Mullah Akhtar Mansour B) Sirajuddin Haqqani C) Mullah Baradar 79. Who replaced Stanley McChrystal as commander in 2010? A) John Allen B) David Petraeus C) Ray Odierno 80. Which Afghan warlord and vice president was a key U.S. ally against the Taliban? A) Abdul Rashid Dostum B) Hibatullah Akhundzada C) Mullah Baradar 81. Which commander oversaw the final withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2021? A) Scott Miller B) Mark Milley C) Joseph Votel 82. Who was the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan? A) Ashraf Ghani B) Hamid Karzai C) Burhanuddin Rabbani 83. Which U.S. general led the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001? A) Tommy Franks B) James Mattis C) Austin Miller 84. Who was the head of the Northern Alliance assassinated just before 9/11? A) Hamid Karzai B) Ahmad Shah Massoud C) Abdul Rashid Dostum 85. Who served as the leader of the Taliban during the initial 2001 invasion? A) Mullah Omar B) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 86. Which U.S. General was the commander of forces during the 2009 troop surge? A) Stanley McChrystal B) Lloyd Austin C) Tommy Franks 87. Who was the first commander of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan? A) David Petraeus B) John McColl C) Stanley McChrystal 88. Which U.S. commander led the ISAF forces during the year 2011? A) David Petraeus B) John Allen C) Stanley McChrystal 89. Which Afghan official was the Vice President when the government fell? A) Amrullah Saleh B) Abdul Rashid Dostum C) Karim Khalili 90. Who was the U.S. Defense Secretary at the very beginning of the war? A) Robert Gates B) Donald Rumsfeld C) Leon Panetta 91. Who became the supreme leader of the Taliban after Mullah Mansour died? A) Hibatullah Akhundzada B) Mullah Baradar C) Sirajuddin Haqqani 92. Who was the leader of Al-Qaeda who hid in Afghanistan? A) Ayman al-Zawahiri B) Osama bin Laden C) Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 93. Which U.S. commander oversaw the transition to the Resolute Support Mission? A) Joseph Dunford B) John Allen C) David Petraeus 94. Who was the Afghan diplomat who served as the Chief Executive Officer? A) Abdullah Abdullah B) Amrullah Saleh C) Ashraf Ghani 95. Which U.S. General served two terms as commander in Afghanistan? A) John Nicholson B) David Petraeus C) Stanley McChrystal 96. Who served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs during the start of the war? A) Colin Powell B) Richard Myers C) Mike Mullen 97. Which leader was the head of the Haqqani Network? A) Sirajuddin Haqqani B) Mullah Mansour C) Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 98. Who was the Afghan president when the Taliban regained power in 2021? A) Ashraf Ghani B) Hamid Karzai C) Abdullah Abdullah 99. Which U.S. general was in charge of the NATO mission from 2014 to 2016? A) John F. Campbell B) Joseph Dunford C) David Petraeus 100. Who led the Taliban delegation during the Doha peace talks? A) Mullah Baradar B) Hibatullah Akhundzada C) Mullah Omar