Direct proof of use
The U.S. Air Force fact sheet for the GBU-15 directly documents Afghanistan-war use by stating that the enhanced GBU-15 weapon system entered service in 2001 and was successfully employed in combat while directly supporting Operation Enduring Freedom combat operations.
A U.S. National Archives-derived image record separately identifies a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle from the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group before a joint strike mission into Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, armed with a GBU-15 electro-optic guided bomb and a GBU-12 Paveway II.
Sources: GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit Fact Sheet, NARA F-15E GBU-15 OEF Image Record
2001 employment
The documented Afghanistan use centers on the enhanced GBU-15, also known as EGBU-15, which added GPS/INS guidance to the earlier television and imaging-infrared, man-in-the-loop glide-bomb family. The Air Force places that upgrade in the 1999-2000 period and lists 2001 as the enhanced version's deployment date.
The public Air Force fact sheet does not identify the individual target set, sortie count, or exact release date for the Afghanistan combat employment. Its wording supports combat use by U.S. forces in Operation Enduring Freedom rather than mere possession or transfer.
Sources: GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit Fact Sheet
Carrier and role
The same Air Force source identifies the F-15E Strike Eagle as the GBU-15's current U.S. Air Force deployment aircraft, while the archive image ties an F-15E to a GBU-15-armed Afghanistan strike mission during Operation Enduring Freedom.
For the 2001 War in Afghanistan, the supported role is a U.S. and coalition-side air-launched precision strike munition. The sources support combat employment and mission carriage, but they do not support an independent claim about which Afghan location, target type, or unit released each weapon.
Sources: GBU-15 Guided Bomb Unit Fact Sheet, NARA F-15E GBU-15 OEF Image Record
