Major events in Afghanistan in the last three decades that have led to the current crisis
Illustration by Nilanjan Daso
mid 1990s: The Taliban originate from madrassas in Pakistan and Afghanistan (the name is derived from the Arabic word ‘talib’, meaning ‘student’) and occupy parts of Afghanistan. By 1996, it had overthrown the Burhanuddin Rabbani regime and replaced it with a regime run by Taliban founder Mullah Omar. Strict interpretation of Sharia law
1999: The United Nations Security Council creates al Qaeda and the Taliban Sanctions Committee, which recognizes and sanctions the two as terrorist entities working together.
2001: The 9/11 attacks on America killed 3,000 people. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is linked to Afghanistan. After the Taliban government refused to hand him over, US forces invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban regime in December. The United Nations forms an interim Afghan government
2004: An assembly of Afghan representatives adopted a constitution for Afghanistan. Elections take place in October; Hamid Karzai became the first elected president. The Taliban factions regrouped under Mullah Omar and launched attacks against the occupying US military and the new Afghan government.
2011: Osama bin Laden is killed by US forces in Pakistan. US President Barack Obama announced the withdrawal of troops. An international conference is held in Bonn, Germany, to prepare a roadmap for Afghan forces from international forces
2014-2016: Ashraf Ghani was elected as Afghan President in a controversial decision; He signed a power-sharing agreement with his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah. The death of Taliban chief Mullah Omar was made public in 2015. The following year, his successor Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was killed in a US drone strike.
2019-2020: US President Trump authorized talks with the Taliban. An agreement has been signed with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar – the withdrawal of troops and a full US withdrawal by 2021 in exchange for the Taliban to participate in an intra-Afghan dialogue and halt terrorist activities.
2021: US President Joe Biden announced that all US troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of August. The Taliban captured Kabul on 15 August
Back to cover story: How India should deal with Taliban
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