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2200 BCE: Indus River Valley Civilizations expanded into region today known as Afghanistan

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2200 BCE: Indus River Valley Civilizations expanded into region today known as Afghanistan

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The Indus River Civilizations also known as the Harappan civilization extended their territory to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwest India.

This civilization brought innovations such as seal carving, standardized weights, and metallurgy using: copper, tin, bronze, lead

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1500 BCE: The Aryans (indo-iranian people) migrate into Afghanistan

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1500 BCE: The Aryans (indo-iranian people) migrate into Afghanistan

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The Indo-Aryans brought their own distinct religious beliefs and practices to Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

Brought on the Vedic Period (≈1750-500BCE) named after Vedas, the oldest scriptures in Hinduism

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500 BCE: The Persian Achaemenid Empire conquers Afghanistan

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500 BCE: The Persian Achaemenid Empire conquers Afghanistan

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The Persian Empire took control over a large portion of the middle east along with Afghanistan and Tajikstan

Beginning of Afghanistans recorded history using rock inscriptions

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305 BCE: establishment of the Seleucid Empire in which Afghanistan was a part of the territory

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305 BCE: establishment of the Seleucid Empire in which Afghanistan was a part of the territory

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brought on by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great’s generals

During the Seleucid-Mauryan war the seleucid Empire failed to reconquer the northwestern part of the Mauryan Empire

As a result, a peace offering was made where 500 elephants were given in exchange for 5 territories that went to the Mauryan Empire

Afghanistan thus went under the control of the Mauryan Empire

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642: The Arab Muslim forces conquer Afghanistan

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642: The Arab Muslim forces conquer Afghanistan

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Islamic armies won against the Sāsānids in Iran and then moved into Afghanistan, however, they were unable to hold the territories and eventually were forced out of the territory

Introduced Islam into the region during their rule but returned old beliefs after they'd passed

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1219: Genghis Khan and the Mongols invade Afghanistan

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1219: Genghis Khan and the Mongols invade Afghanistan

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Looking at Afghanistan's geographical location it makes sense why Afghanistan is seen as beneficial to control, as it is vital in controlling southern Asia with its passage through central Asia.

The Khyber pass, a mountain pass linking Afghanistan and Pakistan, was used by Genghis Khan for military purposes in his geopolitical strategies

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1747: Establishment of the modern state of Afghanistan

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1747: Establishment of the modern state of Afghanistan

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Ahmad Shah Durrani, after the assassination of Nadir Shah, was appointed Shah in 1747

He founded the Durrani Empire along with the contemporary state of Afghanistan and also made efforts to Invade India

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1800s: The British Empire begins striving for influence in Afghanistan in the Great Game with Russia

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1800s: The British Empire begins striving for influence in Afghanistan in the Great Game with Russia

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1838-1842: The First Anglo-Afghan War takes place, attempting to take control of Afghanistan but being met with local resistance

1878-1880: The Second Anglo-Afghan War takes place, resulting in a nominal British victory and increased British influence over Afghanistan.

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1919: Afghanistan gains independence from British influence

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1919: Afghanistan gains independence from British influence

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The third war consisted of battles between the WWI-worn-out British Indian army & the ineffective Afghan army

It ultimately ended with a peace treaty being signed in Rawalpindi (in Afghanistan at the time) in 1919, giving the country their independence from foreign influence

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1933: King Zahir Shah becomes the monarch and rules until 1973

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1933: King Zahir Shah becomes the monarch and rules until 1973

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Mohammed Zahir's father brought on a period of anarchy and as a result was assassinated, giving his son the throne at 19 years old

Mohammed Zahir Shah provided an era of stable government to the country of Afghanistan during his rule

A significant contribution Zahir had was his establishment of a constitutional monarchy which prevented royal relatives from holding office

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1978: The Saur Revolution takes place, leading leading to the Afghan War

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1978: The Saur Revolution takes place, leading leading to the Afghan War

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President Mohammed Daoud Khan was couped on April 27 1978

Daoud had had five years in power after having his cousin, King Zahir Shah,  kicked out of power and exiled

The Saur Revolution was led by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA partly because of Daoud Khan's suppression and harsh land reform policies

Power in Afghanistan was then shared between two political groups: the Khalq Party & the Banner Party

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1978-9: The Soviet involvement & Invasion during the Afghan War

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1978-9: The Soviet involvement & Invasion during the Afghan War

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The groups in power had little support from their population, and therefore created ties with the Soviet Union

The government then enforced eradication of any opposition within the country along with imposing land and social reforms

This prompted the uprise of insurgency groups using guerilla tactics known as the mujahideen

The insurgencies and fighting within the government between the two political groups prompted the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan on December 24th 1979 and kill the Khalq leader Hafizullah Amin

This left the Banner leader Babrak Karmal in charge who the Soviets wanted to support since his views aligned with theirs

However, they were met with strong resistance from the mujahideen who were being supported by the United States

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By the late 1980s, the Soviet Union had lost around 15,000 troops and suffered even more injuries

The Soviets were unsuccessful in creating a sympathetic regime in Afghanistan

As a result of the deaths, the Soviet Union ended up signing an accord with Afghanistan, Pakistan, & the US  in 1988 and agreed to withdraw their troops from the country

After the withdrawal, Afghanistan's status was deemed as nonaligned

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1992: The Soviet-backed regime of Dr Mohammad Najibullah overthrown 

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1992: The Soviet-backed regime of Dr Mohammad Najibullah overthrown 

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Babrak Karmal was replaced by Najibullah as president in 1986 and lessened the strict control imposed by his predecessor in an attempt to gain support

Despite his efforts, his reputation & affiliation cemented the public's negative opinion of the president which led to Najibullah being forced out of office by the mujahideen in 1992

Mohammad Najibullah then took refuge in a UN compound for four years, but the Taliban were ultimately able to execute him after taking control of Kabul in 1996

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The Taliban is an extremist political and religious faction/group that emerged in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Soviet-enforced communist regime in the country in the mid-1990s

The group was led by a former mujahideen fighter: Mullah Mohammad Omar

Their capture of Kabul in 1996 marks a significant turning point in Afghanistan's power and political situation

The group was officially recognized as ruling Afghanistan by Saudi Arabia & Pakistan in 1997 since the Taliban then controlled two thirds of the country

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Al-Qaeda was an Islamist militant organization founded by Osama bin Laden that began as a network to support Muslims fighting against the Societ Union in the Afghan War

After being based in Sudan for a number of years in the early 1990s, they reestablished themselves in Afghanistan in 1996 with the help of the Taliban

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2001: US vs Afghanistan US-led bombing of Afghanistan

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2001: US vs Afghanistan US-led bombing of Afghanistan

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Al-Qaeda committed a series of suicide attacks via airline hijackings in 2001 and destroyed locations such as the Pentagon & the twin towers

In response, the US led a bombing of Afghanistan in October 2001 and with the help of the Northern Alliance, invaded the country leading Mullah Omar and most of the rest of the Taliban leadership to flee across the Pakistani border

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The UN put together the Bonn Conference in Germany 2001 with the aim of reconstructing Afghanistan and keeping international peace

The Agreement was signed on December 5, 2001 by various political representatives opposing the Taliban

Some examples of details in this agreement were provisions that addressed military demobilization, international peace, human rights, and establishing institutions in Afghanistan

Afghan representatives were then chosen to elect a temporary transitional government until the country's reconstruction

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2004-5: Reconstruction of Afghanistan's political system. 

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2004-5: Reconstruction of Afghanistan's political system. 

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The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was approved by an assembly called the Loya Jirga in Kabul, which pledged that Afghanistan would be Islamic and democratic

The transitional administration was led by President Hamid Karzai who stayed in office until the presidential election in 2009 where he was then after a fraudulent first vote given a second term when his opposing candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew

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2011: Osama Bin Laden's pursuit following 9/11 attacks and death

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2011: Osama Bin Laden's pursuit following 9/11 attacks and death

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Osama Bin Laden had been added to the FBI's new most wanted terrorists list in October 2001

He managed to escape Afghanistan during the US's, and allianced nations, military operations against al Qaeda terrorists

American intelligence agencies obtained information that strongly suggested bin Laden was in northern Pakistan in August 2010

Almost a year later in May of 2011 Osama bin Laden was killed by a special operations unit at the suggested compound in northern Pakistan, after receiving the green light from President Obama

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2014: Ashraf Ghani elected as the president of Afghanistan

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2014: Ashraf Ghani elected as the president of Afghanistan

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Ashraf Ghani was sworn into office in 2014 which was Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power as he replaced Hamid Karzai

Additionally, in 2015, the US brokered a deal that created a national unity government which gave Abdullah Abdullah the role of chief executive officer

This deal caught the attention of the Taliban who carried out two bombing attacks in Afghanistan killing at least 15 people, one near the Kabul airport & the other in the eastern province of Paktia

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2020-21: The US and NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan, and Taliban control

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2020-21: The US and NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan, and Taliban control

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NATO had sent forces into Afghanistan following 9/11 in 2001

After the Taliban's bombings in 2015, they began the Resolute Support Mission in order to help Afghanistan's forces combat terrorism

With the goal of keeping peace in the situation, the US signed an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 to withdraw all NATO allied forces from Afghanistan

The troops were withdrawn in April 2021

This led to the Taliban launching attacks within the country, capturing Kabul, & forming a new Afghan government

As a result, in August 2021, more than 120,000 people were airlifted from Afghanistan thanks to NATO allied forces

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12024253

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/ancient-india/a/the-indus-river-valley-civilizations

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Metals-and-Metallurgy-in-Harappan-Civilization-Tripathi-Thornton/2c85e6367f8d983b92ffe9a5408fe34ca4eab33a

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-indo-aryan-migration-and-the-vedic-period/

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/world/asia/31pstan.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Anglo-Afghan_War

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mohammad-Zahir-Shah

https://adst.org/2016/04/the-saur-revolution-prelude-to-the-soviet-invasion-of-afghanistan/

https://www.britannica.com/event/Soviet-invasion-of-Afghanistan

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taliban

https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/osama-bin-laden#:~:text=In%20August%202010%2C%20U.S.%20intelligence,compound%20and%20killed%20bin%20Laden.