The Conflict

In 1979, Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union who set up a communist regime in Kabul. It became a battleground for Soviet and US power and a resistance movement was involved.

The Soviets were pushed out in 1989 by the resistance movement and the USA; however warlords within Afghanistan resistance movement turned against each other as they fought for power and control and a bloody civil war broke out. The Taliban came out of this conflict as the strongest power and in 1996, they took over Kabul and most parts of the country.

The Taliban brought some stability to war-torn Afghanistan at first but it soon put in place a fundamentalist Islamic regime that was criticized for its strict version of Islamic (Sharia) law, oppression of women and unfair treatment of other people.

In 1998, Osama bin Laden, who had been part of the resistance, formed the Al Qaeda terrorist network and was accused of bombing two US embassies in Africa. In 2001, Bin Laden was held responsible for the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York that killed around 2,970 people. A US-led air-strike was then directed at Afghanistan as this was considered to be where Bin Laden was.

In December 2001, the Taliban lost their power but peace in Afghanistan is very fragile and the replacement government isn’t a strong one. Foreign troops being in the country causes local resentment because of their aggressive, sometimes violent behaviour and the feeling among local people that the forces are trying to introduce western culture that is at odds with the Muslim religion. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are still present in Afghanistan and violence often erupts.