Amos,

Apart from its main sponsor Pakistan - not one single country recognised the Taliban as being the government of Afghanistan.

If memory serves me correctly the first foreign troops to enter Afghanistan were British Royal Marines - their task, to secure Bagram Air Base in order that Mohamed Karzai could return to the country.

Initially on arriving they were forbidden to move off the base. This restriction was later relaxed to allow them to secure and make safe the road from the Air Base to Kabul.

Now maybe we are splitting hairs - but that certainly doesn't sound like any "invasion" that I have ever heard of.