Afghanistan is a country in Asia. Has a population of around 31 million people and is the 40th largest nation by size. The capital city is Kabul, which was originally established in 1747-48 as a garrison town to protect Afghanistan’s emperor from outside invasion. Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces, with Afghanistan’s name being derived from a Persian word for “land of the Afghans.”
the Country has suffered long periods of war and conflict throughout most of its history. The country was seized by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., it came under Islamic rule after Arabs invaded Afghanistan in A.D. 640.
Recent History Afghanistan
Afghanistan was a British protectorate from 1878. It has gone through many changes in the past 30 years, including several wars with other countries and civil war within its own borders. The Taliban government seized power in Afghanistan on September 26th 1996 after it succeeded in winning control over most of Afghanistan by defeating the Mujahideen government. Afghanistan has been in a state of war since 1979, but the Taliban regime is believed to have killed tens of thousands of Afghans during its five year reign with impunity.
Today
The Ring Road connecting Afghanistan’s major cities was started in the 1960s but cut short by war. After the U.S took control of it, new road construction began and continued after a $2 billion investment from USAID and DoD between 2002 to 2016 that helped improve their infrastructure network with additional private investment pouring into Afghanistan as well.
Image courtesy of Visual Capitalist
The Taliban, a militant group that ran the country in the late 1990s, has taken power. The controversial organization had been on its way out of Afghanistan; however two weeks ago they seized control before American troops were set to withdraw from what is now their 20-year war with terror groups and other insurgents.
Taliban leaders have promised not only to respect women’s rights but also those who fought against them during America’s long occupation and prevent Afghanistan from being used as a base for terrorism worldwide.
