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18th Century - Ahmad Shah begins his modern rule (1747-1772) of Afghanistan of which encompasses northern India and eastern Iran (Afghanistan Country Profile 2023).
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1826 - 1842 - Durrani dynasty begins to decline. Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai becomes Emir of Afghanistan. First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42) (Britannica, 2023).
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1878-80 - Second Anglo-Afghan War.
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1893 - The currently disputed Durand Line was established as the border between British India and the Emirate of Afghanistan (Afghanistan Country Profile 2023).
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1919 - Third Anglo-Afghan War. Afghanistan invades British India; Afghanistan gained control of its foreign affairs from Britain through a peace treaty (Britannica, 2023).
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1926 - Formally known as the Emirate of Afghanistan, it became the Kingdom of Afghanistan under newly self-declared king, Emir Amanullah Khan (Afghanistan Government).
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1928-33 - Afghan civil war (1928-29) Prince Mohammed Nadir Shah’s reign begins of which he encourages a more modern approach in making peace between Afghanistan and British India - he is assassinated. In 1933, Mohammed Zahir Shah began his reign as king from 1933 to 1973 (Afghanistan Country Profile 2023).
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1973 - Mohammed Daoud Khan begins his rule as Afghanistan’s first president.
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1978 - 79 Communists under Nur Muhammad Taraki seize power in a coup against President Mohammed Daoud Khan. Newly enacted land distribution reforms and the oppression of political dissent create a strong opposition that leads to civil war. In 1979, Taraki was assassinated by Hafizullah Amin (prime minister). The Soviet Union invades and overtakes Kabul and installs a communist influenced regime (Afghanistan Country Profile 2023).
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1979-89 - Soviet-Afghan War: Soviet troops are sent to stabilize Afghanistan. Due to the presence of the soviet troops, a bitter war begins; The US and Pakistan assist in sending military aid to resistance groups; The US and Pakistan send military aid to resistance groups (Britannica, 2024).
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1989 - Soviet forces leave. Afghanistan collapses into a deadly renewed civil war, killing around 400,000 Afghans between 1990-2001 (Britannica, 2024).
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1996 - Taliban take over Kabul and institute their radical Islamic beliefs (Ahmadi et al., 2023).
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2001-2021 - The US, Nato, and other allies begin the war in Afghanistan due to the attack on 9/11; this war will become the longest US military engagement at 20 years long. Taliban is kicked out of Kabul, Hamid Karzai gains political power as the head of the interim power-sharing government (Afghanistan Country Profile 2023).
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2014 - Nato formally ends its combat mission in Afghanistan (Timeline: U.S. War in Afghanistan 2024).
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2020-21 - Taliban and US military sign the Doha Agreement. The US withdraws from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. In 2021, the Taliban officially reinstated their power in Kabul (Timeline: U.S. War in Afghanistan 2024).