Timeline: Afghanistan Timeline

1747

Afghanistan establishes as an independent nation

The year 1747 marks the definitive appearance of an Afghan political entity independent of both the Persian and Mughal empires

1838

1838–1842 and 1878–1880 First and Second Anglo-Afghan Wars g

The First Anglo-Afghan War (also known by the British as the Disaster in Afghanistan)[3] was fought between the British East India Company and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842.The Second Anglo-Afghan War was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878-1880. The war was part of the Great Game between the British and Russian empires.

1919

1919 Independence is declared from Britain g.

. Following the Treaty of Rawalpindi, the king declared August 19, 1919, to be Afghanistan’s first independence day

1933

1933 Zahir Shah becomes king g.

Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. He expanded Afghanistan's diplomatic relations with many countries, including with both Cold War sides.[3] In the 1950s, Zahir Shah began modernizing the country following the example of Turkey. His long reign was marked by peace and stability that was lost afterwards

1973

1973 The king is overthrown in a coup and Afghanistan is declared a republic g.

The 1973 Afghan coup d'etat was the somewhat bloodless overthrow of King Mohammed Zahir Shah by the then-Army commander Lieutenant General Mohammed Daoud Khan on 17 July 1973.

1978

1978 The Afghan president is killed in an army coup. There is violent protest throughout the country

The murder of a leading Afghan Communist Party leader in early April 1978 may have encouraged the communists to launch their successful campaign against the Daoud regime later that month.

1979

1979 Soviet Union invades Afghanistan g #7

On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978.

1989

1989 Soviets withdraw; civil war breaks out g.

The military withdrawal commenced soon after, with all Soviet forces leaving Afghanistan by 15 February 1989.

1996

1996 Taliban take over Kabul, the capital city.

The Taliban entered Kandahar in November 1994 to pacify the crime-ridden southern city, and by September 1996 seized the capital, Kabul, from President Burhanuddin Rabbani, an ethnic Tajik whom it viewed as anti-Pashtun and corrupt.

1998

1998 Taliban control 90% of Afghanistan

By 1998, the Taliban were in control of almost 90% of Afghanistan. Afghans, weary of the mujahideen's excesses and infighting after the Soviets were driven out, generally welcomed the Taliban when they first appeared on the scene.