Afghanistan Timeline

By: Justin MitchellGreen B

Afghanistan General Information

0 Year country was founded: Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and the Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup.

0 Capital City: Kabul

0 Population: 29,835,392

Afghanistan General Information

0 Ethnic Groups: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, Other 4%

0 Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, Other 1%

0 Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primary Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primary Balochi and Pashai 4%, much bilingualism

April 1839

0The British determined to invade Afghanistan, and the Army of the Indus, a difficult force of more than 20,000 British and Indian troops, set off from India for Afghanistan in late 1838. After difficult travel through the mountain passes, the British reached Kabul in April 1839. They marched unopposed into the Afghan capital city.

September 1988

0 In September, Osama bin Laden and 15 other Islamists forms the group al-Qaida, or "the base", to continue their jihad, or holy war, against the Soviets and other who they say oppose their goal of a pure nation governed by Islam. With their belief that the Soviet's unsure war in Afghanistan was directly attributable to their fighting, they claim victory in their first battle, but also begin to shift their focus to America, saying the remaining superpower is the main obstacle to the founding of a state based on Islam.

1989

0 The U.S., Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union sign peace accords in Geneva, Switzerland guaranteeing Afghan independence and the withdrawal of 100,000 Soviet troops. Following Soviet withdrawal, the Mujahadeen continue their resistance against the Soviet-backed government of communist president Dr. Mohammad Najibullah, who had been elected president of the puppet Soviet state in 1986. Afghan rebels name Sibhatullah Mojadidi as head of their exiled government.

2000

0By now considered an international terrorist, Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding in Afghanistan, where he is cultivating thousands of followers in terrorist training camps. The United States demands that bin Laden be send back to stand trial for the embassy bombings. The Taliban decline to deport him. The United Nations punishes Afghanistan with sanctions restricting trade and economic development.

December 22, 2001

0Hamid Karzai, a royalist and ethnic Pashtun, is sworn in as the leader of the interim government in Afghanistan. Karzai entered Afghanistan after living in exile for years in neighboring Pakistan. At the U.N.-sponsored conference to determine an interim government, Karzai already has the support of the United States and by the end of the conference is elected leader of the six-month government.

Work Cited

0 McNamara, Robert. "British Army in Afghanistan Was Trapped and Massacred in 1842." 19th Century History. The New York Times Company, 2011. Web. 3 Apr. 2011. http://history1800s.about.com/od/colonialwars/a/kabul1842.htm.

0 NewsHour, Online. "The Online NewsHour: Afghanistan and the War on Terror | Political Timeline | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/asia/afghanistan/timeline/timeline6.html.

0 "CIA - The World Factbook." Welcome to the CIA Web Site — Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html.