HISTORY OF AFGHANISTAN
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War & political unrest are not new problems for Afghanistan. By briefly exploring the history of the country, you will see that the Afghan people have been fighting for freedom & stability since ancient times. Being a landlocked parcel of land in the middle of important central Asian trade routes has always made it an attractive conquest for various countries and groups.
Afghanistan has been at war for thousands of years. The country was first invaded by Asians about 1500 BC and then by the Persians. Alexander the Great conquered most of Afghanistan about 330 BC. Since then, Arab Muslims, Mongols, the United Kingdom and Russia have all fought for control of the country. In 1919, a 3rd war between the British & Afghans broke out. The Afghans were sick of being controlled. The British were pushed out of the country & Afghanistan became independent. Amanullah Khan became the ruler of Afghanistan. He created the government's first constitution and changed his title from Emir to King.
Amanullah Khan tried to modernize the country, but many of the ethnic and religious groups thought his changes were too extreme. A civil war broke out in 1928 and Khan was overthrown by Habibullah Kalakani. In less than a year he was replaced by Mohammed Nadir Shah who turned the government into a monarchy, making himself the country's first official king. The monarchy remained in power for around 50 years, but there was still civil unrest. King Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last official king of Afghanistan. In 1973, Mohammad Daoud Khan overthrew the monarchy & changed the government to a republic, making himself the country's first president. This change however, did not bring peace. In order to fund the changes he wanted to make, he sought the help of the Soviet Union.
In the late 1970's the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Communism was not popular with everyone and the Afghan people rebelled. The Soviet Union had a well organized army with thousands of soldiers. The Afghan rebels were called mujaheddin or holy warriors. In 1988, with the support of the United States, the Afghans forced the Soviet Union to retreat. It took several more years to get rid of communism completely. The mujaheddin overthrew the government setting off more civil unrest. Various groups within Afghanistan could not agree with one another and the country fell into a state of lawlessness.
As Afghanistan entered the 1990's, infighting was leaving the door open to have the government overthrown once again. During this time the Taliban began to gain strength and was preparing for their takeover. This part of Afghan history is so important that I will explore it as a separate topic, but this brief history should highlight why Afghanistan has been so vulnerable to take over through the years.