Governing Bodies and Battles for Power in Afghanistan

Afghan Independence British and Russian powers fought for control of Afghanistan and the surrounding area since the late 18th century. In 1919, Afghans negotiated peace with Britain to end the Third Anglo-Afghan war and signed the the Treaty of Rawalpindi, declaring independence. Emir Amanollah became the monarch in Afghanistan. Amanollah shifted away from orthodox Islam, causing major tensions, and slavery is abolished in 1923.

Nadir and Zahir Shah Several power struggles ensue and in 1929, Shah Mohammad Nadir comes into power. Nadir’s rule is short lived, but he begins to return to orthodox Islam. Shah Mohammad Zahir, Nadir’s son, takes his place and builds strong ties with the Soviet Union, mainly thorough the economy and military. He remained neutral during World War II and the Cold War.

Republic of Afghanistan Muhammad Daoud becomes Prime Minister in 1953, but is removed by King Mohammad Zahir Shah with the backing of the United States in 1964. Daoud leads a coup against the king and declares himself president in 1973. The majority of people oppose his policies, and after Daoud tries to imprison members of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) in 1978, he is overthrown. Nur Muhammad Taraki takes power and Afghanistan becomes a socialist country.

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Hafizullah Amin became Prime Minister in March 1979, and overthrew Taraki in September. Islamic ideals were replaced with Marxist ones and the PDPA promoted women’s rights and state atheism. The USSR helped modernize the country by building roads and hospitals. The majority of the population disliked the new policies and the dependence on the Soviet Union. By 1979, most of the country was in open revolt, and over half of the army either deserted or joined the rebels.

Soviet Invasion The Soviet Union decided to intervene in December 1979, sending over 100,000 troops. Hafizullah Amin was killed, replaced by Barbak Kamal. The Carter and Regan administration sent an estimated $20 billion in cash and weapons to Afghanistan to aid those against the Soviets. The Soviets withdrew their forces in 1989 after killing over one million Afghan civilians, but supported new President Mohammad Najibullah.

Civil War Najibullah fell in 1992, leading to the creation of the Pashawar Accords. These instituted the Islamic State of Afghanistan and were used during Afghanistan’s transitional period. Due to much instability within Afghanistan, sudden wars broke out with neighboring countries. The Taliban developed in 1994 as a political-religious force within Afghanistan, supported by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and took power in provinces in southern and central Afghanistan.

The Taliban and the United Front The Taliban attacked the capital of Kabul in 1995, but were defeated by the military of Ahmad Shah Massoud. They then seized the city a year later and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Massoud and Abdu Rashid Dostum, former enemies, created the United Front against the Taliban. They were about 30% of Afghanistan’s population. There were 15 massacres by the Taliban between 1996 to 2001, with about 4,000 civilians killed by 1998.

More Civil War The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, sent around 28,000 of troops to aid the Taliban. From 1996 to 2001, the Al Qaeda became a state within the Taliban state. In 1998, The Taliban defeated Dostum’s forces, leaving Massoud the only leader in the United Front. He was offered a position of power by the Taliban, but he declined.

Foreign Involvement Massoud went before the European Parliament in 2001, asking for humanitarian help, also predicting a large- scale attack on the United States. On September 9, 2001, Massoud was assassinated by two attackers in Afghanistan, and two days later were the attacks on the World Trade Center. These actions lead to the war in Afghanistan by the United States.