3. Age 11 Sharbat Gula Age 28

4. Afghanistan: A Brief History Pashtun Children
Dari (East Persian) Alphabet            

5. Slightly smaller than Texas 31.8 million people
Quick Facts
Slightly smaller than Texas
31.8 million people
Literacy: 43% Men % Women
4 main languages; 30 minor
99% Muslim
HDI: 169 of 187

6. Early Afghanistan
323 B.C. Alexander the Great
Arab rule; Islam introduced
Turkish rule
Mongol rule
1747 Loya Jirga elects king

7. Problems with British
Anglo-Afghan War
nd Anglo-Afghan War
1919 3rd Anglo-Afghan War
8/19/1919 Independence Day

8.
1928: King Amanullah abdicated: modernization ends; sharia (strict Muslim law) introduced.
King Mohammad Nadir Khan ( ) gradual reforms; assassinated.

9. (1933-1973) King Mohammed Zahir Shah
Some reform
1964 Liberal Constitution: parliament created
Growth of extremist parties
1973 King fled to Italy; died August 2007
Mohammed Daoud Khan, cousin, est. republic: reforms fail

10. Daoud and family murdered
Communist Rule
Daoud and family murdered
People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (Communists) seize power.
US Ambassador murdered
Soviet advisors arrive.
Babrak Karmal, Prime Minister

11. Communist Rule
1978: Shi’ia Muslim military officers rebel: 100 Soviet advisors and their families murdered.
1979 USSR invades
Afghanis flee to Pakistan and Iran to organize resistance.

12. Communist Rule
Mujahideen: Muslim resistance to Soviet rule (7 main groups; some hostile to the West)
Supported by US, Saudi Arabia, China, and Egypt
Receive weapons

13. Communist Rule
Soviet Vietnam
Refugees flee to cities.
PDPA divides into 2 factions
Geneva Accords
2/15/1989 Soviets leave

14. Civil War
Communists led by Najibullah vs. Muhjahideen
1992 Muhjahideen win
Peace accords fail
nd Civil War
1996 Taliban Wins

16. Taliban
Extreme Islam: no rights for women (wear burka); atrocities; destruction; natural disasters
Give sanctuary to Osama bin Laden

17. Osama bin Laden Plans Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam bombings of US embassies.
9/11/2001
10/7/2001 US and allies invade
June 2002 Loya Jirga selects Hamid Karzai as 2 year president; 2004 elected

18. Current Events December 19, 2005 National Assembly inaugurated.
Renewed Taliban insurgency; NATO troops 
President Obama’s surge.
$3 billion illegal trade in opium and heroin poppies.
July US withdrawal

19. Ashraf Ghani (2014-)