History

Central Asia History Page

Afghanistan has a rough and violent history. Its’ basic history started from about 1973. That year, Mohammed Daoud Khan launched a bloodless coup and became the first president of Afghanistan. Five years later, the PDPA (People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan) overthrew the government and gained power. Their victory only lasted several months before the Soviet Union invaded the country. Over a million civilians were killed during the occupation. The United States responded by helping and arming the Afghan Mujahideen, a group that had taken up arms against the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union left the country in 1989, Afghanistan didn’t really have any leader until the Taliban seized Kabul and started to govern Afghanistan. Following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Britain and U.S Forces began to bomb Afghanistan. The Taliban was forced to retreat as the U.S declared war on them. The U.S has gained back most control of Afghanistan, but the Taliban are still fighting back.