Afghanistan 1. Afghanistan

Location and Flag of Afghanistan

Facts about Afghanistan Texas Snowy Mountains Kabul Afghans Agriculture Buzkashi 33 Million Muslim 49 Afghanistan is the size of Texas USA. Most of the country is covered by snow capped mountains and deep valleys. The largest city in Afghanistan is Kabul, the capital. Afghanistan is a landlocked country sharing borders with Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and China. The people of Afghanistan are called Afghans and not Afghanis which is the currency. A common mistake that happens among people. Afghanistan's main source of income comes from agriculture. They produce large amounts of crops that are enough to provide for the people and export as well. They plant vegetables, fruits, rice and nuts. Afghanistan's national game is called Buzkashi, or in other words, goat-grabbing. It's a sport where the players in two teams try to catch a goat while riding on a horse. It has been played for centuries and it even got sponsors for it nowadays. Full name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Population: 33.4 million (UN, 2012) Capital and largest city: Kabul Area: 652,225 sq km (251,773 sq miles) Major languages: Dari, Pashto Major religion: Islam Life expectancy: 49 years (men), 49 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: Afghani Main exports: Fruit and nuts, carpets, wool, opium GNI per capita: US $690 (World Bank, 2013) Internet domain: .af International dialling code: +93

The word Taliban means ‘student’ War and the Taliban The latest war in Afghanistan began back in 2001. A group called the Taliban had controlled most of the country since 1996 but they were overthrown in November 2001 by British and American armed forces, as well as lots of Afghan fighters from a group called the Northern Alliance. The word Taliban means ‘student’

Why was there a war? During the time that the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, they allowed an organisation called al-Qaeda to have training camps there. In September 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The United States believed that Osama Bin Laden - who was the head of al-Qaeda - was the man behind these attacks.

Why was there a war? There was a lot of international pressure on the Afghan leaders to hand over Osama Bin Laden. When the Taliban didn't do this, the United States decided they would use their armed forces. In October 2001, the USA began bombing Afghanistan. They targeted bin Laden's al-Qaeda fighters and also the Taliban. In November 2001, the Northern Alliance took control of the Afghan capital Kabul. They were being helped by the US and other countries that agreed with it, including the UK. The Taliban were quickly driven out of the capital city, Kabul, but even today Afghanistan remains a dangerous place.

It was in 2011, ten years after the war in Afghanistan began that Osama bin Laden was eventually found by American soldiers in Pakistan, where he was shot and killed. British troops and forces from other countries are still in Afghanistan, trying to help the government build a stable nation. The UK government plans to take all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.