Kite Runner and the History of Afghanistan

By Dylan Bornick

  • Start of Soviet Union Invasion of Afghanistan

    On December 27th of 1979, the imperial Russian Government (Soviet Union) invaded Afghanistan when "The first troops parachuted into Kabul..." (NY Times 2).

  • The Departure of the Soviet Union

    As peace was being accepted by the Soviets, they officially departed Afghanistan when "...the last Soviet troops left..." (NY Times 2).
  • Period: to

    Taliban Control

    Sadly the Taliban "had taken control of Afghanistan..."(NY Times 3) by 1996.

  • The Taliban Resilience

    Although the Taliban was defeated in 2001, they "...continued to wage a guerrilla warfare..." (NY Times 3).

  • 9/11 Impact Around the World

    It was unclear whether the Taliban or the Al Qaeda began the attack, but "George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (NY Times 3).

  • The Karzai Government Power

    As the power of the Taliban died down, Hamid Karzai "was named chairman of an interim group that replaced the defeated Taliban..." (NY Times 3).
  • Period: to

    The Reelection of Hamid Karzai

    Having been a good leader, Mr. Karzai "was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (NY Times 3).

  • General Petraeus Taking Charge

    An Iraq commander, General Petraeus, who was well respected "had taken charge of United States Central Command in October 2008" (NY Times 4).

  • Obama's Speech

    In order to deal with the troubles in the Middle East, Obama "announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (NY Times 4) through a speech at West Point.

  • The Removal of McChrystal

    Not having the best trust, "Obama removed Gen. McChrystal after contemptuous quotes from the general and his staff..." (NY Times 4).