5/17/2017 BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Afghanistan's turbulent history

Afghanistan'sturbulenthistory

Afghanistan'sdescentintoconflictandinstabilityinrecenttimesbeganwiththeoverthrowofthe
kingin1973.

ZahirShahwasinItalyforaneyeoperationwhenhewasdeposedinapalacecoupbyhiscousin,
MohammadDaoud.

DaouddeclaredAfghanistanarepublic,withhimselfaspresident.

Hereliedonthesupportofleftiststoconsolidatehispower,andcrushedanemergingIslamistmovement.

Definingmoment

Buttowardstheendofhisrule,heattemptedtopurgehisleftistsupportersfrompositionsofpowerand
soughttoreduceSovietinfluenceinAfghanistan.

ItwasthisthathelpedleadtoadefiningmomentinAfghanistan'srecenthistorythecommunistcoupin
April1978,knownastheSaur,orAprilRevolution.

PresidentDaoudandhisfamilywereshotdead,andNurMohammadTarakitookpowerasheadofthe
country'sfirstMarxistgovernment,bringingtoanendmorethan200yearsofalmostuninterruptedruleby
thefamilyofZahirShahandMohammadDaoud.

ButtheAfghancommunistparty,thePeople'sDemocraticPartyofAfghanistanorPDPAwasdivided,and
splitsemerged.

Ruthlessleader

HafizullahAmin,whohadbecomeprimeminister,wasopposedtoTaraki,andinOctober1979Tarakiwas
secretlyexecuted,withAminbecomingthenewpresident.

Amin,knownforhisindependentandnationalistinclinations,wasalsoruthless.

HehasbeenaccusedofassassinatingthousandsofAfghans.

TotheSovietsinMoscow,hewaslookeduponasathreattotheprospectofanamenablecommunist
governmentborderingSovietCentralAsia.

InaswiftchainofeventsinDecember1979,AminwasassassinatedandtheSovietRedArmysweptinto
Afghanistan.

BabrakKarmalwasflownfromCzechoslovakia,wherehewasAfghanambassador,totakeoverasthenew
president,albeitasapuppetleaderacceptabletoMoscow.

Millionkilled

TheSovietoccupation,whichlasteduntilthefinalwithdrawaloftheRedArmyin1989,wasadisasterfor
Afghanistan.

AboutamillionAfghanslosttheirlivesastheRedArmytriedtoimposecontrolforitspuppetAfghan
government.Millionsmorefledabroadasrefugees.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1569826.stm?ad=1 1/3
5/17/2017 BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Afghanistan's turbulent history
GroupsofAfghanIslamicfightersormujahideenfoughtendlesslytotrytoforceaSovietretreat,with
muchcovertsupportfromtheUnitedStates.

Afternearly10years,theSovietUnioneventuallywithdrew,leavinginpowerPresidentNajibullah,whohad
replacedKarmalasleader.

HehungonforthreeyearsaftertheRedArmy'sdeparture,butfellin1992astheUnitedNationswastrying
toarrangeapeacefultransferofpower.

ThemujahideensweptvictoriouslyintoKabul.Afterashortinterimmeasure,ProfessorBurhanuddinRabbani
becamepresidentofthenewIslamicRepublic.

Infighting

Buttheirvictorywassoonsouredbyinfighting,asthemujahideenfactionsfailedtoagreeonhowtoshare
theirnewpower.

DuringtheSovietoccupationitwaspredominantlyruralareasthatsufferedmilitaryonslaughtastheRed
Armytriedtoflushoutthemujahideen.

Butwhenthemujahideentookover,itwastheturnofurbanareastosufferfromtheconflict.

Thiswasespeciallytrueofthecapital,Kabul,abouthalfofwhichwasliterallyflattened.Tensofthousandsof
civilianslosttheirlives,andthecountryslidmoreandmoreintoastateofanarchy.

Itwastowardstheendof1994thattheTalebanemergedinthesoutherncityofKandahar,heartof
Afghanistan'sPashtunhomeland.

Theirinitialappealandsuccesswasbasedonacallfortheremovalofthemujahideengroups.

Talebanyears

AtfirsttheysucceededingainingcontrolofPashtunareaswithlittlefighting.Mujahideencommanders
defectedtotheirranks.

Butastheircontrolspreadtoother,especiallynonPashtun,areas,thefightingintensified.

TheTalebanwentontocontrolabout90%ofthecountry.

Itwasin1996,astheycapturedKabul,thatmuchoftheoutsideworldfirstreactedindismaytothe
Taleban'sextremeIslamicpolicies,especiallytowardstheplaceofwomeninsociety.

AsTalebancontrolspread,theWesternworldintensifiedpressureontheTalebantobanthegrowthof
opiumpoppies,AfghanistanbeingthesourceofmostopiatesreachingEurope.

TheUnitedStates,inparticular,alsobegantheirpressureontheTalebantogiveupthemilitantSaudi,
OsamaBinLaden,whomtheTalebandescribedastheir"guest"inAfghanistan.

WashingtonblamedBinLadenformastermindingthesuicideattacksontheWorldTradeCentreinNewYork
andthePentagoninWashingtonon11September2001.

ThefollowingmonththeUSanditsalliesbeganairattacksonAfghanistanwhichallowedtheTaleban's
Afghanopponentstosweepthemfrompower.KabulwasretakeninNovemberandbyearlyDecemberthe
TalebanhadgivenuptheirstrongholdofKandahar.

Roadtoelections

On5December2001AfghangroupsagreedadealinBonnforaninterimgovernment,attheheadofwhich
PashtunroyalistHamidKarzaiwasthenswornin.

TheBonnconference,heldunderUNauspices,forgedapoliticalblueprintleadingtoelectionsscheduledfor
summer2004.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1569826.stm?ad=1 2/3
5/17/2017 BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Afghanistan's turbulent history
InJune2002aloyajirga,orgrandcouncil,electedMrKarzaiasinterimheadofstate.Asecondloyajirgain
January2004adoptedanewconstitution.

InSeptember,2002,MrKarzaisurvivedanassassinationattemptinKandaharblamedontheTaleban.There
havebeenothernearmissessince.Anumberofhisministersandotherseniorfigureshavebeenless
fortunate.

MrKarzaihasbeenabletoexertlittlecontrolbeyondthecapital.

TurfwarsbetweenlocalcommandershavebeenafeatureofthepostTalebanperiod.

AndtheTalebanthemselveshavereemergedasafightingforce,worseningthesecuritysituationfirstinthe
eastandsoutheast,andthenacrossmuchofthecountry.

Thousandshavebeenkilledintheviolenceinrecentyears,includingmanymilitantsandforeignandAfghan
troops,aswellaslargenumbersofcivilians.

StoryfromBBCNEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr//2/hi/south_asia/1569826.stm

Published:2008/11/2116:39:45GMT

BBC2017

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1569826.stm?ad=1 3/3