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Leonid Breszhnev reigned in Russia
(Exact dates unknown) General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Russia. He reigned from 1964 to when he died, in 1982. -
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President Jimmy Carter in US office
American politician/president of United States and author who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. -
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Operation Cyclone, aka Mujahideen Alliance occurs
Operation Cyclone was a CIA code-name for a program to arm and finance the Afghan mujahideen prior to and during the Soviet War in Afghanistan (1979-89). Operation Cyclone was one of the longest and most expensive covert CIA operations ever undertaken. The program leaned more towards heavily militarized Islamic groups favored by the regime of of Muhammed Zia-ul-Haq, vs. less ideological Afghan resistance groups that fought the Marxist-oriented Democracy of Afghanistan. -
US begins to support Mujahideen
On the third of July, 1979, President Carter signed a presidential finding authorizing funding for anticommunist guerrillas in Afghanistan, aka Operation Cylone's goal. -
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Babrak Karmal is president of Afghanistan
Babrak Karmal became president of Afghanistan on the 27th of December, 1979, and ruled until the 4th of May, 1986 (7 years). Babrak was one of the leaders for the PDPA (People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan). This group of people pops up later in Afghanistan's history, trying to prove they could do more than than their fair share of work. (Communist) -
The US, USSR, and Pakistan Peace Accords
On the 14th of April, 1988, The US, USSR, & Pakistan signed what is also known as the Geneva Accords. The Geneva Accords involved several topics: one, an agreement impacting both sides (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of Afghanistan) of non-interference. Two, a declaration of international guarantees signed by the US & USSR. Three, a bilateral agreement between Pakistan & Afghanistan on the return of Afghan refugees. Finally, four, a settlement on the situation in Afghanistan. -
More info on the 1992 Afghan Civil War
The new and fragile interim government banned the sale of alcohol and pressured women to cover their heads in public and adopt traditional Muslim dress. Most of the civil infrastructure in Kabul was ruined because of the war as well. -
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1992 Civil War in Afghanistan
Phase of conflict in Afghanistan began after the resignation of Communist leader Mohammad Najibulla. Unity between the people and Banner faded. Karmal and other selected Banner leaders were sent abroad as ambassadors, and there were systematic purges of any Banner members or others who might oppose the new regime. After Najibulla resigned, a group of rebel forces set up a fragile interim government. With the fall of Communist government, Afghanistan appeared to be on a course of Islamization. -
More Info about Taliban background
Background on the Taliban: The Taliban are a group of fundamentalist Sunni Muslim militants living today mostly near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Osama bin Laden was raised also as a devout Sunni Muslim, but the connections between Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are hazy.)
Basic ideology of the Taliban: Strongly antagonist against American and NATO forces in Afghanistan as well as against the new government led by President Hamid Karzai. -
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Taliban seized Kabul, Afghanistan
(Exact dates unknown) After the 1992 Afghan Civil War, there was another consecutive Afghan Civil War lasting from 1996-2001. In 1996, Taliban captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and established a new form of government: the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. (The Islamic State of Afghanistan government remained the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan. The Taliban's Emirate received recognition only from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates). -
UN air embargo on Afghanistan
(Exact date unknown) In October 1996, Afghanistan was placed under an embargo through UN security council resolution. They did this in reaction to continued conflict in Afghanistan, two consecutive civil wars and the eventual takeover of the Taliban. This embargo has never been officially lifted, but it’s purpose has been deemed “obsolete” by the adoption of a mandatory arms embargo. -
9/11 Terrorist attacks
On September 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center Twin Towers were hit by planes thought to be Al-Qaeda affiliates, planned by Osama bin Laden. Four passenger airliners—which all departed from airports on the U.S. East Coast bound for California—were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists to be flown into buildings. Two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 & United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers. Around 2,000 people died, and the US Gov. has denied allegations. -
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US Invasion of Afghanistan
The United States invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Al-Qaeda. Key allies, like the UK, supported the US from start to finish. In 2003, the US was joined by NATO. It’s public aims for the war included dismantling Al-Qaeda and to deny it a safe base of operations in Afghanistan by removing the Taliban from power. This phase of the war is the longest war in United States’ history. President Bush demanded and expel Al-Qaeda; Bin Laden had been wanted by the UN since 1999.
