The war on terrorism was quite complex in its origins. Yes, the most dramatic event that led to the US invasion of Afghanistan was the 9/11 terrorist attacks. However, the conflict between the United States and Islamist terrorists was long in the making. Let's therefore break it up a bit and consider the following questions:

Considering the reasons for invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, should both of these fronts be considered part of the "war on terror?" or were they separate conflicts?

Please cite your reference.