NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Invasions of Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been invaded many times, and its boundaries and legitimate government have almost always been in dispute. Invaders include the Mughal rulers of South Asia, the Russian Tsars, the Soviet Union, the British Empire, and currently NATO along with the United States and a coalition. The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...

From a geopolitical sense, controlling Afghanistan is vital in controlling Central Asia. Afghanistan played an important part in the Great Game power struggles. Current struggles over Afghanistan can be viewed as an extension of the struggle over control over Central Asia and its natural resources, as well as its strategic location in the middle of Eurasia. Historically, the conquest of Afghanistan has also played an important role in the invasion of India from the West through the Khyber Pass. Geopolitics is the study which analyses geography, history and social science with reference to international politics. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... The Great Game is a term, usually attributed to Arthur Connolly, used to describe the rivalry and strategic conflict between the British Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. ... Eurasia African-Eurasian aspect of Earth Eurasia is the landmass composed of Europe and Asia. ... Looking back towards Pakistan, on the Pakistan side of the Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass (also called the Khaiber Pass or Khaybar Pass) (Urdu: Ø¯Ø±Û Ø®ÛŒØ¨Ø±) is the most important pass connecting Pakistan with Afghanistan. ...

The first historically documented invasion of the region that is now called Afghanistan was made by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C. as part of his string of conquests. Among the cities conquered was Herat. Alexander the Great (Greek: ),[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BCâ€“June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336â€“323 BC), was one of, if not the most successful military commanders in history, conquering most of the known world before his death; he is regarded as... Court of the Friday Mosque in HerÄt. ...

Later, the region was invaded from the west by the Arabs under the Abbasid Dynasty, causing the conversion of most of its inhabitants to Islam. Later, it was invaded twice from the north and east by the Mongols (once by Genghis Khan, once by Timur) in a drive to conquer both India and the heartlands of Dar al-Islam. The Arabs (Arabic: Ø¹Ø±Ø¨ ) are an ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Abbasid provinces during the caliphate of Harun al-Rashid Abbasid was the dynastic name generally given to the caliphs of Baghdad, the second of the two great Sunni dynasties of the Muslim empire. ... For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... , (c. ... Statue of Timur in Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan TÄ«mÅ«r bin Taraghay Barlas (Chagatai Turkic: ØªÛŒÙ…ÙˆØ±, iron) (1336 â€“ February 1405) was a 14th century warlord of Turco-Mongol descent[1][2][3], conqueror of much of Western and central Asia, and founder of the Timurid Empire (1370â€“1405) in Central Asia and... Dar al-Islam (Arabic: Ø¯Ø§Ø± Ø§Ù„Ø¥Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù… literally house of submission) is a term used to refer to those lands under Muslim government(s). ...

During the Nineteenth Century, independent Afghanistan was invaded twice from British India, firstly in the First Anglo-Afghan War of 1838–1842, and again in the Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878–1880, both times with the intention of limiting Russian influence in the country, and quelling local tribal leaders. Both invasions ended in total defeat for the British forces, and despite sustaining heavy losses, Afghan warlords maintained their grip on power. For the entire period, tribal cross border warfare was constant, and the area was known in India and Europe as the North-West Frontier. British India (otherwise known as The British Raj) was a historical period during which most of the Indian subcontinent, or present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, were under the colonial authority of the British Empire (Undivided India). ... The First Anglo-Afghan War lasted from 1839 to 1842. ... The Rise of Dost Mohammad It was not until 1826 that the energetic Dost Mohammad was able to exert sufficient control over his brothers to take over the throne in Kabul, where he proclaimed himself amir. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ...

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan happened in 1979, prompting a Western boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, and kickstarting U.S. funding for radical, armed Islamic resistance groups. Local Mujahadeen, along with fighters from several different Arab nations, eventually succeeded in forcing the Soviets out, in the USSR's most humiliating military defeat, and was a factor in the dissolution of Soviet communism. In-fighting between the Mujahedeen led to feudal warlords in Afghanistan, and from that the violent fundamentalist Taliban regime. A Soviet soldier on guard in Afghanistan in 1988. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics was a part of a package of actions to protest against the December 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( â–¶ (helpÂ· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Mujahideen (مجاهدين; also transliterated as mujāhidīn, mujahedeen, mujahedin, mujahidin, mujaheddin, etc. ... The Arabs (Arabic: Ø¹Ø±Ø¨) are an ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Motto: ÐŸÑ€Ð¾Ð»ÐµÑ‚Ð°Ñ€Ð¸Ð¸ Ð²ÑÐµÑ… ÑÑ‚Ñ€Ð°Ð½, ÑÐ¾ÐµÐ´Ð¸Ð½ÑÐ¹Ñ‚ÐµÑÑŒ! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Russian: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem(s): The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital Moscow Largest city Moscow Official language(s) None; Russian de facto Government Federation of Soviet Republics - Last President Mikhail Gorbachev - Last Premier Ivan Silayev... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Flag flown by the Taliban. ...

At the start of the 21st century, Afghanistan again found itself in conflict with a Western power. The 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan was publicly stated to have been launched to capture Osama bin Laden, whom the U.S. government claimed to have masterminded the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Although the U.S. military forces did not capture him, they succeeded in toppling the radical politico-religious Taliban government, and seriously disrupting Osama bin ladin's Al-Qaeda criminal network. The Taliban government had given shelter to Bin Laden and become notorious for their human rights violations. The Taliban leadership survives in hiding in Afghanistan, largely in the south, and continues to launch guerrilla attacks against forces of the U.S., its allies, and the current government. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: â€Ž; born March 10, 1957 [1]), most commonly known as Osama bin Laden is a militant Islamist and one of the founders of al-Qaeda. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... Flag flown by the Taliban. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Flag flown by the Taliban. ...

In 2006, the occupying United States forces turned security for the country over to NATO deployed forces in the region, integrating their 20,000 soldiers with NATO's own 20,000. The Canadian military assumed leadership and almost immediatly began an offensive against areas where the Taliban guerrillas had encroached. At the cost of only a few dozen of their own soldiers, the British, American, and Canadian forces managed to kill over 1,000 Taliban fighters and send thousands more into retreat. Many of the surviving guerrillas, however, began to regroup and further clashes are expected by both NATO and Afghan government military commanders. NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...