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Soviet--Afghan War
In 1978, Afghanistan's leader is overthrown. The power was shared by two Marxist-Leninist groups. They form close ties with the Soviet Union. The Soviets invade Afghanistan on December 24, 1979. The Mujahedeen(the rebels) fight back because they don't like their new goverment. -
Afghan Mujahedeen is formed
The Mujahedeen was the group that fought against the Soviets in the Afghan war. The war went on for ten years. Eventually, they won, but it was a pointless and bloody war. -
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Operation Cyclone
Operation Cyclone is the code name for the program that the United States ran. The United States Central Intelligience Agency involved arming, training, and financing the Afghan mujahideen. At the time, Afghanistan was in the middle of a Soviet war. They armed the rebels so that they could fight against their goverment. -
Al-Qaeda is formed
Al-Qaeda is an Islamist terrorist group that was led by Osama Bin Laden. It translates to "The Base." The headqaurters used to be in Sudan, but they moved to Afghanistan in 1996. They train tens of thousands of people to become terrorists and to fight. -
First Al-Qaeda attack in Yemen
The first Al-Qaeda attack on the US was in Yemen, where a group of US troops were staying at a hotel. They were headed to Somalia on a mission. Al-Qaeda bombed the hotel. At about the same time, another group of terrorists were planning to shoot rockets at American troops in planes at Aden airport. -
The First World Trade Center Bombing
Terrorists bring a van with a homeade bomb inside and park it in the basement parking garage in the world trade center. Six people died and over 1,000 were injured. -
Taliban allows Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan
Al-Qaeda entered Afghanistan in 1996. The Taliban allowed Osama Bin Laden to set up training camps for terrorists near the border with Pakistan. -
United States Embassy Bombings
On this day, a series of truck bombs occured in east African citites. Hundreds of people were killed. In retaliation, President Bill Clinton ordered missile strikes on August 20th in places in Sudan and Afghanistan. -
Osama Bin Laden is killed
The leader of Al-Qaeda was killed in Pakistan on the mission Operation Neptune Spear, which was carried out by a group of a Navy Seals. He was buried in the sea afterwards.
