Afganistan Crisis (1973-2022) | আফগানিস্তান সংকট
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Afghanistan Crisis (1973–2022)
Afghanistan, situated at the junction of Central Asia and South Asia, is a country rich in natural and mineral resources. In post-Second World War politics, Afghanistan attracted the attention of the major powers. Since the British colonial period, Afghanistan had remained weak, backward, and deeply divided by tribal conflicts. Under the rule of Mohammad Zahir Shah, Afghanistan was governed for nearly forty years. In 1973, during his visit to Europe, he was overthrown in a palace coup. One of his relatives, Mohammad Daoud Khan, seized power with the support of the communist People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Daoud established a republic in Afghanistan, thereby ending monarchical rule.
Soviet Invasion
The PDP had two factions — Khalq and Parcham. The leaders of the Khalq faction were Noor Mohammad Taraki and Hafizullah Amin, while the Parcham faction was led by Babrak Karmal. It was the Parcham group that had helped Daoud Khan seize power. Noor Mohammad Taraki became Daoud Khan’s Prime Minister. The Soviet Union suspected from the beginning that the Khalq faction maintained links with the United States. In 1978, while Daoud Khan was visiting the Soviet Union, Taraki captured power through a coup.
During Taraki’s rule, several reform programs introduced by the PDP government hurt Islamic sentiments, leading to the rise of conservative Islamic organizations against him. Soon afterward, Hafizullah Amin carried out another coup, removed Taraki from power, and became the ruler of Afghanistan.
Although Amin was a leftist ruler, his contacts and dependence on the United States steadily increased, causing concern within Soviet leadership. At the same time, Islamic forces were becoming active in Afghanistan’s border regions. Several southern provinces of the Soviet Union also had large Muslim populations culturally distinct from mainstream Russian society. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolution had already taken place in Iran in 1978. In this context, Soviet authorities feared that Afghan Muslim fundamentalists might infiltrate Soviet Muslim-majority regions and create unrest.
Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev had earlier declared in 1965 that if socialism appeared threatened in any communist country, the Soviet Union would intervene in that country’s internal affairs. This became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine. The doctrine was applied in Afghanistan. Toward the end of 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Hafizullah Amin was removed from power, and the strongly pro-Moscow Babrak Karmal was installed as ruler.
End of Soviet Influence
Soviet influence did not last long in Afghanistan. Armed guerrilla resistance developed across the country against Soviet occupation. Afghan Mujahedin fighters severely challenged Soviet forces. Pakistan, Iran, China, and Arab countries supported the Mujahideen, but secret assistance from the United States proved most beneficial to them.
In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union and decided to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan. After bilateral talks with U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1988, Gorbachev completed the Soviet withdrawal. However, Mohammad Najibullah, another pro-Moscow leader, was appointed ruler. His authority remained limited mainly to Kabul, while the Mujahideen controlled most other regions. In 1992, the Mujahideen overthrew Najibullah, bringing communist rule in Afghanistan to an end.
Establishment of Taliban Rule
After the fall of the PDP government, leaders of different Mujahideen groups formed a coalition government in Afghanistan. However, they failed to maintain unity and became engaged in violence, conflict, and destruction. Meanwhile, around 1994, a Pakistan-backed Mujahideen group called the Taliban emerged under the leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar. The Taliban grew militarily and organizationally powerful and captured Kandahar that same year.
In 1996, the Taliban captured Kabul, overthrew the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates recognized this government. The Taliban established control over nearly 90 percent of Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden became one of Mullah Omar’s principal associates and advisers.
American Intervention and Conflict
As mentioned earlier, the United States had secretly collaborated with Mujahideen groups. To overthrow the pro-Soviet communist government, the U.S. provided extensive financial and military assistance to Islamic guerrilla fighters. These secret links became widely known after the 9/11 terrorist attacks destroyed the Twin Towers in the United States.
Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Arab financier, played a major role in recruiting, training, and supplying Mujahideen fighters. Al-Qaeda’s main bases were located along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. However, relations between the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and the United States gradually deteriorated. The United Nations did not recognize the Taliban government of Afghanistan, and the Taliban believed this was due to American influence.
Meanwhile, relations between bin Laden and the United States worsened over various issues. Al-Qaeda carried out terrorist attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Following these attacks, the U.S. demanded that the Taliban hand over bin Laden, but Mullah Omar rejected the demand. In response, the United States launched missile strikes on Afghanistan in 1999 and pressured the United Nations to impose economic sanctions on the country.
These tensions eventually culminated in the events of 11 September 2001. Terrorist aircraft attacks severely damaged the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks. Since the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan had provided shelter to bin Laden, the United States launched air strikes on Afghanistan on 7 October 2001 in search of bin Laden and to destroy Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Afghanistan was devastated by the war, though bin Laden initially escaped capture. The United States installed Hamid Karzai as the head of an interim government and maintained military forces in Afghanistan to control the country.
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