Why did the British army’s time in Afghanistan go so disastrously wrong?

This two-part BBC Afghanistan documentary tells the story of the British army’s involvement in Afghanistan in the years following 9/11. British forces entered Afghanistan confident they could keep the peace, defeat the Taliban and rebuild the nation. In 2014, they left in defeat. What was achieved during the time in Afghanistan and would the British choose to fight a similar war again?

Watch Afghanistan: The British Lion’s Last Roar? and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.

More documentaries you might like...

Subscribe to BBC Select for hundreds of hours of thought - provoking, award-winning and critically-acclaimed documentaries from the BBC and beyond.

Man in a gas mask carrying the Ukrainian flag

Mariupol: The People's Story

The people of Mariupol share powerful, shocking stories of bravery and loss in a war zone.

Image of Putin wearing sun glasses reflecting the British and US flags

Putin vs The West

The inside story on how Western leaders have struggled to deal with Putin over the years.

The Whistleblowers: Inside the UN

Does the United Nations punish whistleblowers and protect abusers to cover up the truth?

Watch Zelensky: The Making of a President on BBC Select

Zelensky: The Making of a President

The transformation of Ukraine's President Zelensky from comic to respected world leader.

Elon Musk Superhero or Supervillain

Elon Musk – Superhero or Supervillain?

A look beyond the hype and headlines at the world's richest man.

Stream House of Saud on BBC Select

House of Saud

Meet the prince pledging to change the world in the House of Saud

Watch The Decade the Rich Won on BBC Select

The Decade the Rich Won

How did policies following the 2008 financial crisis make the rich even richer?

Stream The Hunt for Bin Laden on BBC Select

The Hunt for Bin Laden

How was Osama Bin Laden able to evade capture despite the intense efforts to find him?

Image the silhouette of a head with a map and British soldier inside the silhouette

African Apocalypse

The atrocities committed by a rogue French officer in Africa are still being felt today.

India: the Modi Question

Investigating tensions between the Indian Prime Minister and the country’s Muslim minority

Watch The Hunt for Russia's Superyachts on BBC Select

The Hunt for Russia's Superyachts

A game of cat and mouse between superyacht hunters and Russia's superrich oligarchs.

Watch Tareena: Return From ISIS on BBC Select

Tareena: Return From ISIS

The extraordinary story of Tareena Shakil, the first British woman to be jailed when returning from ISIS.

Trump The Comeback Documentary

Trump: The Comeback?

Could Donald Trump return to the White House in 2024?

War Crimes in Ukraine BBC

War in Ukraine: The Missing Men of Mucha

A powerful account of love in the face of terror

Leaving Afghanistan BBC

Leaving Afghanistan

Exploring attempts to end the war in Afghanistan

Ukraine Eurovision Documentary

Eurovision: Ukraine’s Victory

How war-torn Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest

Watch The Spy Who Fell to Earth on BBC Select

The Spy Who Fell to Earth

The incredible story of an Israeli double agent who died in mysterious circumstances.

Poaching Wars with Tom Hardy

Actor Tom Hardy is in Africa to investigate the poaching of rhinos and elephants

Watch Drowning in Plastic documentary on BBC Select

Drowning in Plastic

By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. We must act now.

The Rise and Fall of the Super League

The rise and rapid fall of soccer’s European Super League

Stream House of Maxwell on BBC Select

House of Maxwell

How the Maxwells, from father Robert to daughter Ghislaine, became embroiled in scandal.

Watch Clothes to Die For on BBC Select

Clothes to Die For

How much did our desire for fast fashion drive a tragic industrial accident in Bangladesh?

Gorbachev: The Man Who Changed the World

Cold War, Chernobyl and change. How did Mikhail Gorbachev herald a new era of politics?

Watch History's Deadliest Tsunami on BBC Select

History's Deadliest Tsunami

How did the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami go undetected and why was it so devastating?

Watch Vladimir Putin's Russia on BBC Select

Putin's Russia

Votes for Vladimir. Meeting Putin’s biggest fans.

Watch Civilization - Is the West History? on BBC Select

Civilization - Is the West History?

The West once ruled the world. But ‘the Rest’ caught up. Has its dominance had its day?

Stream What If Putin Goes Nuclear Documentary

What If Putin Goes Nuclear?

As Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert, could he really push the button?

Putin's War in Ukraine

Exploring the invasion of Ukraine, Putin's motives and the world's response.

Watch Prince Andrew and the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview on BBC Select

Prince Andrew and The Epstein Scandal – The Newsnight Interview

In this candid interview, Andrew reveals his connection to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Watch The Man Putin Couldn't Kill documentary on BBC Select

The Man Putin Couldn't Kill

Did Putin really try to kill a political rival with a plot involving poisoned underpants?

Stream the Prince and the Epstein Scandal on BBC Select

The Prince and The Epstein Scandal

As Prince Andrew steps back from the public eye, the victims of Jeffrey Epstein speak out

Watch North Korea: Voices from the Secret State on BBC Select

North Korea: Voices from the Secret State

The real lives of people trapped in the world’s most secretive state are finally exposed.

Stream Fake News - A True History on BBC Select

Fake News: A True History

Fake news isn’t new: an entertaining look at 200 years of lies and the media

Stream Putin: A Russian Spy Story on BBC Select

Putin - A Russian Spy Story

The story of the Russian President’s rise to power.

BBC Select free trial

BBC Select is available on Amazon Prime Video Channels and the Apple TV app for only $6.99 a month. Start a 30-day free trial and watch a range of acclaimed documentaries from the BBC and beyond. Restrictions apply*.