A Brief History of Afghanistan

By: Felicity Grant Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Afghanistan is a landlocked country located near the center of Asia. It borders Pakistan on the south and the east, Iran on the south and west and the countries Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China on the north.

Afghanistan has been a focal point in trade and migration between the East and the West since ancient times. Its location is important; it connects South and Central Asia and the Middle East. During its long history, the land has seen various invaders and conquerors to form their own empires. The region is vast.

The Durrani Empire, circa 1747, is considered the beginning of modern Afghanistan. At this time the capital was moved to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to former neighboring countries. Beginning in 1813 and lasting until 1907, Afghanistan became a buffer state in "The Great Game," a strategic rivalry and conflict between the British Indian Empire and the Russian Empire to gain control in Central Asia.

Finally, in 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war Afghanistan regained full independence from the United Kingdom. However, Afghanistan suffered through various regimes and governments and civil wars through the rest of the 20th century.

In 1979, as part of its Cold War strategy, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the occupation resulted in the killings of approximately 600,000 to 2 million Afghan civilians. During this time more than five million Afghans fled to Pakistan, Iran and other countries. Finally, the Soviets withdrew in 1989.

Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union, the U.S. and its allies did little to help rebuild the war-ravaged Afghanistan. Most Afghan elites and intellectuals fled to take refuge abroad and left the country vulnerable to corrupt leadership. Fighting continued among various factions, the most serious in 1994 when more than 10,000 people were killed in Kabul.

At this time, in 1996, the Taliban government, a Sunni Islamist fundamentalist religious and political movement began governing Afghanistan by force and continued until the United States invaded the country in 2001. During the Taliban’s seven-year rule most of the Afghan population’s human rights were violated or restricted.

In 2001 the United Nations Security Council created the International Security Assistance Force composed of NATO that assist the government of President Hamid Karzai in establishing the law and rebuilding key infrastructures in the nation. In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship.

Recently news magazines like Newsweek, Time and The Economist reported that new U.S. President Barack Obama plans to add 21,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines to the 38,000 Americans already fighting militants in Afghanistan. His strategy aims to increase the focus on improving the capabilities of Afghanistan's police and army thus boosting the effectiveness of the government in Kabul.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: For more on active-deployed service members visit www.subscriptionsforsoldiers.com Felicity Grant is a freelance writer in Atlanta.