Background information on Afghanistan

Soviet Rule

Afghanistan's recent history is one of war, civil unrest and political instability. In 1979, the country was invaded by the Soviet Union who installed a communist regime in Kabul. It became a proxy battleground for Soviet Union and US power and subsequently, an anti-Soviet resistance known as the Muhajideen surfaced.

The Mujahideen, supported by the United States and other neighbouring countries, succeeded in pushing out the Soviets in 1989. After the Soviet exit from Afghanistan however, Mujahideen warlords turned against each other in the struggle for power and a bloody civil war broke out.

Rise of the Taliban

The Taliban emerged from this conflict as the strongest power and in 1996, they took over Kabul and most parts of the country. While the Taliban initially brought some stability to war-torn Afghanistan, it soon established a fundamentalist Islamic regime that was criticized for its strict interpretation of Islam law and oppression of women, among others.

In 1998, Osama bin Laden, who had fought with the Muhajideen and later formed the Al Qaeda terrorist network, was accused of bombing two US embassies in Africa. The Taliban, accused of harbouring bin Laden, came under international pressure to hand over bin Laden. Despite UN embargos and financial sanctions, the Taliban failed to comply.

US Air-strikes

In 2001, Bin Laden was held responsible for the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York that killed 2,749 people. A US-led air-strike was then directed at Afghanistan.

The US-led war was swift and in December 2001, the Taliban gave up their last stronghold of Kandahar. An interim government was established with former warlords still holding positions on all levels of the new governmental administration. The administration has remained largely weak with widespread corruption.

Corruption, Opium, and Foreign Troops

Corruption is especially noticeable today in the cultivation of opium poppies, which during the last year of the Taliban rule was virtually non existent. The drug trade involves public officials, insurgency groups and opium-farming landlords and the enormous increase in opium cultivation subjects the country to crime, corruption, weak governance and poverty.

Consequently, peace in Afghanistan is very fragile. The presence of foreign troops causes local resentment because of their aggressive, sometimes violent behaviour and lack of cultural sensitivity towards women. Insurgency violence is high where there are remnants of al-Qaeda and Taliban in the south-east.

Violence, which is often targeted at civilians to implant fear and sustain control over the local population, has led to almost 3 million people fleeing to Pakistan and Iran. And with the government failing to provide internal security, it risks losing its legitimacy, making the political situation increasingly unstable.