Afghanistan

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Afghanistan
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A History of Conflicts

• 1836 Britain invades Afghanistan. Several
  Anglo-Afghan Wars ensue over the next 100 years
  for Afghanistans freedom from Britain
• 1860s Russia makes several attempts to conquer
  northern areas of Afghanistan
• 1873 Russia promises to respect Afghanistan's
  territorial integrity
• 1895 the northern border of Afghanistan is
  guaranteed by Russia

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• 1907 Russia and Great Britain sign the convention
  of St. Petersburg, in which Afghanistan is
  declared outside Russia's sphere of influence.
• 1921 Once again, the British are defeated, and
  Afghanistan gains full control of her foreign
  affairs.
• 1934 The United States of America formally
  recognizes Afghanistan
• 1947 Britain withdraws from India. Pakistan is
  carved out of Indian and Afghan lands.

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• 1955 The Pashtunistan (occupied Afghan land)
  issue flares up.
• 1956 Kruschev (Russian leader) and Bulgaria agree
  to help Afghanistan. Close ties between
  Afghanistan and USSR.
• 1961 Pakistan and Afghanistan come close to war
  over Pashtunistan.
• 1973 Daoud Khan abolishes the monarchy, declares
  himself President---Republic of Afghanistan is
  established (Afghanistan was previously ruled by
  Shahs and Prime Ministers)

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• 1975-1977 Daoud Khan presents a new constitution.
  Women's rights confirmed. Daoud starts to oust
  suspected opponents from his government.
• 1978 Bloody Communist coup Daoud is killed,
  Taraki is named President, and Karmal becomes his
  deputy Prime Minister. Tensions rise.
• Mass arrests, tortures, and arrests takes place.
• Afghan flag is changed.
• Taraki signs treaty of friendship with the Soviet
  Union.
• June--Afghan guerrilla (Mujahideen) movement is
  born.

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• 1979 Mass killings
• US ambassador killed
• Taraki is killed and Hafizullah Amin takes the
  Presidency.
• Amin is executed, and he is replaced with Babrak
  Karmal.
• Soviet Union invades in December.
• guerrilla opposition forces, popularly called
  mujahidin (Islamic warriors), were active in
  much of the country, fighting both Soviet forces
  and the Soviet-backed Afghan government
• 1986 Babrak Karmal is replaced by Dr. Najibullah
  (who had been living in the USSR- something is
  fishy here)
• 1987 Najibullah proposes ceasefire, but the
  Mujahideen refuse to deal with a "puppet
  government". Najibullah is seen as Soviets toy.
  Mujahideen make great gains--- defeat of Soviets
  eminent.

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• 1988--1989--
• Peace accords signed in Geneva.
• Soviet Union defeated by Afghanistan, total
  withdrawal by the Soviets occurred on Feb. 15,
  1989.
• 40,000-50,000 Soviets lost their lives in action,
  besides the wounded, suicides, and murders.
• Mujahideen continue to fight against Najibullah's
  regime.
• May--Afghan guerrillas elect Sibhhatullah
  Mojadidi as head of their government-in-exile.
• After Russia left in 1989, the country was in
  turmoil.
• There were many ethnic groups several political
  groups.
• The country was devastated by the Afghanistan War
  (197989), which took an enormous human and
  economic toll. After the Soviet withdrawal, the
  government steadily lost ground to the guerrilla
  forces.
• 1992
• In early 1992, Kabul was captured, and the
  guerrilla alliance set up a new government
  consisting of a 50-member ruling council.
  Burhanuddin Rabbani was named interim president
  by guerilla forces.

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• Beginning in late 1994 a militia of Pashtun
  Islamic fundamentalist students, the Taliban,
  emerged as an increasingly powerful force and
  advance rapidly against the Rabbani government
• In early 1996, the Taliban captured Kabul and
  declared themselves the legitimate government of
  the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan they imposed
  a particularly puritanical form of Islamic law in
  the two thirds of the country they controlled.
• They turn Kabul into rubble
• They used harsh ruling methods
• They discriminated against women
• They allowed terrorist groups in the country
• Oppression of women by the Taliban--women must be
  fully veiled, no longer allowed to work, go out
  alone or even wear white socks. Men are forced to
  grow beards. Buzkashi, the Afghan national sport
  is outlawed.
• Under the Taliban
• Women must wear BURKAS- a head to toe covering.
• Women cant laugh out loud
• Women can be beaten or killed for misbehaving
• Taliban order religious minorities to wear tags
  identifying themselves as non-Muslims, and Hindu
  women to veil themselves like other Afghan women.
  
• Tensions rise as Afghan government accuses
  Pakistan of aiding the Taliban.
• Massive human rights violations by the Taliban.

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There has been no rush to unveil, even now in
Kabul
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• 1998--
• February--Earthquake strikes in northeastern
  Afghansitan.
• August--Taliban finally capture Mazar-i-Sharif,
  and massacre thousands of innocent civilians
  afterwards, mostly Hazaras.
• August 20th-- as the Taliban appeared on the
  verge of taking over the whole country, U.S.
  missiles destroyed what was described by the
  Pentagon as an extensive terrorist training
  complex near Kabul run by Osama bin Laden, a
  Saudi-born militant accused of masterminding the
  1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya
  and Tanzania. US states its intent was to destroy
  so called terrorist bases/training facilities
  used by Osama bin Laden and his followers. Some
  Afghan civilians are also killed.
• 1999
• February--Earthquake hits eastern Afghanistan
• In Mar., 1999, a UN-brokered peace agreement was
  reached between the Taliban and their major
  remaining foe, the forces of the Northern
  Alliance, under Ahmed Shah Massoud, an ethnic
  Tajik and former mujahidin leader, but fighting
  broke out again in July.
• In October,UN Security Council Resolution 1267 is
  adopted sanctions against the Taliban on grounds
  that they offered sanctuary to Osama bin Ladin.
  Additional UN sanctions, including a ban on arms
  sales to Taliban forces, were imposed in Dec.,
  2000.
• 2000
• May--Taliban torture and kill civilians in the
  Robatak Pass
• December-- UN Security Council Resolution 1333 is
  adopted additional sanctions against the Taliban
  for their continuing support of terrorism and
  cultivation of narcotics, etc.

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• 2001--
• April--Ahmad Shah Masood visits Europe to gather
  support against the Taliban.
• May-- Taliban order religious minorities to wear
  tags identifying themselves as non-Muslims.
• September 9-- Ahmad Shah Masood is killed by
  assassins posing as journalists. Two days later
  (September 11th), suicide attacks on the U.S.
  kill more than 3,000 people and destroy the two
  towers of the World Trade Center and part of the
  Pentagon.
• October-- The United States and UK working with
  the forces of the United Front (UNIFSA) launch
  air strikes against the Taliban. ( The Americans
  hold Osama bin Laden directly responsible for the
  attacks on the World Trade Center, and the
  Taliban were targeted for protecting him.)
• November Taliban lose control of Mazar-i Sharif.
  
• December 5-- Bonn Agreement. Afghan political
  groups come together in Bonn, Germany and form an
  interim government. Hamid Karzai is chosen as
  Chairman.

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• Al-Qaeda is one of the terrorist organizations in
  Afghanistan.
• It is led by Osama bin Laden
• Some children are sent to boarding schools that
  teach hatred of the west terrorist tactics-
  they are called madrasahs.
• The USA is fighting the terrorist Al-Qaeda
  trying to capture bin Laden to try him for the
  attacks on the USA
• The USA has also removed the Taliban from office
  helped the political group called the Northern
  Alliance.

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• The Taliban was forced out of power by The USA
  Northern Alliance forces by the end of 2001.
• BUT Afghanistan is still a dangerous place
• The geography climate make it easy for small
  grps to remain battle for pwr in their
  villages.
• Warlords attempt to coerce money, allegiance, and
  goods out of local people who live under their
  fists. Drug sales fuel their power.
• Democracy and security really do not exist
  outside of the capital city

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• 2002--
• April-- Former King Mohammad Zahir returns to
  Afghanistan (April) -- does not claim throne.
• War continues against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
• June-- Loya Jirga elects Hamid Karzai as
  President of a Transitional Government. Karzai
  picks members of his administration to serve
  until elections are held in 2004
• July-- Haji Abdul Qadir (brother of Abdul Haq) is
  killed. US air raid in Uruzgan province kills
  approximately 48 civilians, many of them members
  of a wedding party
• 2003--
• War against Al Qaeda and the Taliban continue --
  further weakened.
• 2004--
• January-- Afghanistan adopts a new constitution.
  The country is now a republic with 3 branches of
  government (Executive, Legislative, and
  Judiciary).
• 2004 October/November - Presidential elections
  are finally held after being delayed twice. Hamid
  Karzai is declared the winner, with 55.4 of the
  votes. He is sworn in December. The elections
  were not without controversy allegations of
  fraud and ballot stuffing were brought up by many
  of the presidential candidates including Yunis
  Qanuni (Karzais competition).

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• The current, US-supported president of
  Afghanistan is Hamid Karzai.
• Karzai supports democracy has tried to improve
  womens rights.
• Karzais security detail consists of ex CIA FBI
  members. He has a tighter security detail and
  more body guards than our president

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• 2007 August - Opium production has soared to a
  record high, the UN reports.
• 2008 February - Prince Harry, third in line to
  the British throne, is pulled out of Afghanistan
  after serving 10 weeks in action in Helmand
  province

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