Afghanistan History and turmoil

Geography Landlocked and mountainous Central Asia Kabul is the capital Trading crossroads Bordered by six countries Split east to west by the Hindu Kush Mountains Except for the southwest most of the country is covered by high snow-capped mountains and valley

People At least a dozen  Baluch, Chahar Aimak, Turkmen, Hazara, Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Nuristani, Arab, Kirghiz, Pashai and Persian Pashtun most dominant  Afghan refers to the Pashtuns  Royal family  About 50% of the population, Tajiks 25% Religions  Hindu, Sikh and Jewish communities  Majority are Muslim  Consider Islam to be one of the defining aspects of their ethnic identity (Pashtun)

Early History Rule by various Persian, Greek, Sassasian and Central Asian empires Islam brought in 8 th and 9 th century  Arab rule, semi-independent states Mongolian invasions in the 1200s  Remained in control until the 1500s Caught between control of the Mughals of northern India and the Safavids of Iran  Devastated the land, murdered the people laying siege to cities

Ahmad Shah Durrani 1747 – freed from the rule of Iranian Nadir Shah when he was assassinated Consolidated into what is today know as Afghanistan Able to unify the different Afghan tribes and conquered parts of Iran, Pakistan, India and Uzbekistan

European Influence British Empire and czarist Russia The British looked to the Hindu Kush mountains as a natural barrier and the Russians were expanding south and east “The Great Game”  Anglo-Afghan Wars  1839 – destruction of the British army  Seized most of the cities but a popular uprising led to a massacre of 15,000 British troops  1878 – seized most of the major cities  Installed a puppet ruler – Amir Abdur Rahman British protectorate remained until 1919 Third Anglo-Afghan War led to independence on August 19

After Independence King Amanullah ( )  Modernized  Abolished Muslim veil for women, co-ed schools  Faced tribal and religious alienation, abdicated throne Mohammed Zahir Shah ( )  Autocratic power, the king was the word of law  Assemblies made up of tribal elders, but were land owners and patriarchs  Growth of extremist parties on the right and left  People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan  Communist  Split into two factions  Reflected ethnic, class and ideological differences in society

Pro-Communist Leadership Sardar Mohammad Daoud seized power in a military coup Declared Afghanistan a republic  Titled himself president PDPA aligned with Moscow and seized power  Marxist style “reform” policy  Counter to Afghan traditions  Members of the elite, religious establishment, and intelligentsia were imprisoned, tortured or murdered  Declared a secular state and equal treatment of men and women  Curtailed the practice of purchasing brides  Land reform By 1978 countryside insurgency was growing

Soviet Intervention December 24, 1979 the Soviet forced began to land in Kabul They assassinated the president and installed Babrak Karmal as leader The Karmal regime was unable to gain control outside Kabul People opposed communist rule  Islamic fundamentalist groups began forming and waging guerilla warfare Afghan fighters (mujahideen) made it impossible to maintain control outside cities In 1984, started receiving aid and training from the U.S.  Began operating from camps set up by the CIA and Pakistani Intelligence within Pakistan  Osama Bin Laden became one of the CIA’s most important operatives  1989 – the Soviets withdrew

Rise of the Taliban Warlords fought for power and control of the country throughout the 80s and early 90s The Taliban rose to power in the mid-1990s in reaction to the anarchy and warlordism Educated From the southern Pashtun background 1994 – captured Kandahar and began expanding control 1996 – occupied Kabul By 1998 controlled 90% of the country  Warlords formed the Northern Alliance

Characteristics of the Taliban Aided by Pakistani Intelligence Leaders were mostly young religious students Believed they were ordained to bring stability and the ways of Allah back to their war torn land Sought to impose an extreme interpretation of Islam  Based on rural Pashtun tribal code  Committed massive human rights violations  Atrocities against minority populations Provided sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden and provided a base for his (al-Qaeda) and other terrorist groups

Response to 9/11 Taliban refused to hand over Bin Laden October 7, 2001  U.S. and anti-terrorist collation forces began a military campaign  Targeted terrorist facilities within Afghanistan  Provided support to the Northern Alliance Taliban fell on November 13, 2001  Retreated into the mountains Created an interim government  December 22, 2001 Hamid Karzai as Chairman December 7, 2004 the country was renamed the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan