Afghanistan History

History
Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic Era, and the country's strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. The land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by Alexander the Great, Mauryas, Muslim Arabs, Mongols, British, Soviet, and since 2001 by the United States with NATO-allied countries.

The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire. Its border with British India, the Durand Line, was formed in 1893 but it is not recognized by the Afghan government and it has led to strained relations with Pakistan since the latter's independence in 1947.

In the late 1970s, Afghanistan in a series of coups first became a socialist state and then a Soviet Union protectorate. This evoked the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s against rebels. By 1996 most of Afghanistan was captured by the fundamentalist Islamic group the Taliban, who ruled most of the country as a totalitarian regime for almost five years. The Taliban were forcibly removed by the NATO-led coalition, and a new democratically-elected government political structure was formed.

Afghanistan is a unitary presidential Islamic republic with a population of 35 million, mostly composed of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks. 

Timeline
1709 - Mirwais Hotak, an influential Afghan tribal chief, gained independence at Kandahar after a successful revolution against the Persian Safavid dynasty. 1738 - Nader invaded and destroyed Kandahar, and restored the Abdali ethnic Pashtus to political prominence. 1747 - Ahmad Shah Durrani of the Abdali Pashtun confederacy declared the establishment of an independent Afghanistan, with its capital at Kandahar. 1809 - Durrani signed a treaty of alliance with the United Kingdom. 1826 - Dost Mohammad Khan took the throne in Kabul, where he proclaimed himself emir. 1839 - First Anglo-Afghan War: A British expeditionary force captured Quetta regiment force of sixteen thousand was massacred by the Afghans. 1857 - Afghanistan declared war on Persia. 1878 - January	Second Anglo-Afghan War: Afghanistan refused a British diplomatic mission, provoking a second Anglo-Afghan war. 1879 - Second Anglo-Afghan War: To prevent British occupation of a large part of the country, the Afghan government ceded much power to the United Kingdom in the Treaty of Gandamak. 1880 - Abdur Rahman and British Raj representative Mortimer Durand signed an agreement establishing the Durand Line. 1919 - Third Anglo-Afghan War: Amanullah led a surprise attack against the British. 1922 - Solar Hijri calendar officially adopted in Afghanistan. 1929 - Amanullah was forced to abdicate in favor of Habibullah Kalakani in the face of a popular uprising. 1964 - A new constitution was ratified which instituted a democratic legislature. 1965 - The Marxist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) held its first congress. 1978 - Saur Revolution: Military units loyal to the PDPA assaulted the Afghan Presidential Palace, killing President Mohammed Daoud Khan and his family. 1978 - A rebellion against the new Afghan government began with an uprising in Nuristan Province. 1978 - A treaty was signed which permitted deployment of the Soviet military at the Afghan government's request. 1978 - Soviet–Afghan War: Fearing the collapse of the Amin regime, the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan. 1978 - 	Operation Storm-333: Soviet troops occupied major governmental, military and media buildings in Kabul, including the Tajbeg Palace, and executed Prime Minister Amin. 1988 - Soviet–Afghan War: The Soviet government signed the Geneva Accords, which included a timetable for withdrawing their armed forces. 1989 - Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet troops left the country. 1992 - Civil war in Afghanistan (1989–1992): Afghan political parties signed the Peshawar Accord which created the Islamic State of Afghanistan and proclaimed Sibghatullah Mojaddedi its interim President. 1992 - Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezbi Islami, with the support of neighboring Pakistan, began a massive bombardment against the Islamic State in the capital Kabul. 1994 - The Taliban government began to form in a small village between Lashkar Gah and Kandahar. 1995 - 	The Taliban, with Pakistani support, initiated a military campaign against the Islamic State of Afghanistan and its capital Kabul. 1996 - Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001): The forces of the Islamic State retreated to northern Afghanistan. 1996 - Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001): The Taliban conquered Kabul and declared the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Former President Mohammad Najibullah, who had been living under United Nations protection in Kabul, was executed. 1996 - Operation Infinite Reach: Cruise missiles were fired by the United States Navy into four militant training camps in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 2001 - Resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud was killed in a suicide bomb attack by two Arabs who were disguised as French news reporters. 2001 - After the September 11 attacks in the United States, U.S. President George W. Bush demanded the Taliban government to hand over al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden and close all terrorist training camps in the country. 2001 - The Taliban refused Bush's ultimatum for lack of evidence connecting bin Laden to 9/11 attacks. 2001 - Operation Enduring Freedom: The United States and the United Kingdom began an aerial bombing campaign against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. 2001 - The United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to help maintain security in Afghanistan and assist the Karzai administration. 2002 - loya jirga: Hamid Karzai appointed as President of the Afghan Transitional Administration in Kabul, Afghanistan. 2003 - loya jirga: A 502-delegate loya jirga was held to consider a new Afghan constitution. 2004 - Hamid Karzai was elected President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan after winning the Afghan presidential election. 2005 - Taliban insurgency: An insurgency began after a Pakistani decision to station around 80,000 soldiers next to the porous Durand Line border with Afghanistan. 2007 - Afghanistan–Pakistan Skirmishes: Skirmishes began with Pakistan. 2011 - After the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, many high-profile Afghan officials were assassinated, including among them were Mohammed Daud Daud, Ahmed Wali Karzai, Jan Mohammad Khan, Ghulam Haider Hamidi, and Burhanuddin Rabbani. 2011 - Afghanistan National Front was created by Tajik leader Ahmad Zia Massoud, Hazara leader Mohammad Mohaqiq and Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostum

History Links

 * History World
 * Ancient History
 * History and Culture Forum
 * Pre-Islamic Period
 * History of Afghanistan
 * Brief History of Afghanistan
 * Tribe, Clan, & Ethnic Genealogies of Afghanistan