1. In 1973, the king of Afghanistan was deposed and the new ruler relied on the support of communists.

2. But when the ruler purged the communists from power, a communist takeover of the nation occurred in 1978. Of course, not everyone was happy.

3. To help the communist regime, the Soviets invaded in 1979 and occupied the land until 1989.

4. The Mujahidin quickly formed. It was a coalition of groups opposed to the Soviet occupation.

5. One group within this rebel coalition was the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group.

6. By the time the Soviets were forced to leave Afghanistan, the Taliban had gained control of 90% of the nation.

7. The Taliban established a fundamentalist, Islamic society. Women had to be covered and segregated from men.

8. But after the September 11 th attacks in the United States, the Taliban was overthrown by U.S. forces.

9. The Taliban had aided and abetted Osama bin Laden, the “mastermind” behind the attacks.

10. However, fighting still persists in Afghanistan. The Taliban are determined to regain their power.

11. Iraq, too, has experienced great conflict.

12. From 1979 until 2003, a dictator ruled Iraq.

13. But in 1990, Sadaam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator, invaded neighboring Kuwait.

14. The United States and other nations defeated Iraq in the Persian Gulf War.

15. But Sadaam Hussein continued to defy the international community. He refused to stop a nuclear weapons program.

16. Once again, Iraq’s dictator was in trouble. After 9/11, the U.S. attacked Iraq again.

17. By 2003, Sadaam was captured, brought to trial, and executed.

18. But like Afghanistan, peace has not come to Iraq. There is still conflict between the different groups of the nation.