Afghanistan is a country that has been the sphere of interests of the most important players in world politics for more than 200 years. Its name is firmly entrenched in the list of the most dangerous hot spots on our planet. However, only a few know the history of Afghanistan, which is briefly described in this article. In addition, its people, over several millennia, created a rich culture close to Persian, which is currently in decline due to constant political and economic instability, as well as the terrorist activities of radical Islamist organizations.
History of Afghanistan from ancient times
The first people appeared on the territory of this country about 5000 years ago. Most researchers even believe that it was there that the world's first settled rural communities arose. In addition, it is assumed that Zoroastrianism appeared on the modern territory of Afghanistan between 1800 and 800 BC, and the founder of the religion, which is one of the oldest, spent the last years of his life and died in Balkh.
Bmiddle of the 6th century BC. e. The Achaemenids included these lands in the Persian Empire. However, after 330 B. C. e. it was captured by the army of Alexander the Great. Afghanistan was part of his state until the collapse, and then became part of the Seleucid empire, who planted Buddhism there. Then the region fell under the rule of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom. By the end of the 2nd century A. D. e. The Indo-Greeks were defeated by the Scythians, and in the first century A. D. e. Afghanistan was conquered by the Parthian Empire.
Middle Ages
In the 6th century, the territory of the country became part of the Sassanid Empire, and later - the Samanids. Then Afghanistan, whose history hardly knew long periods of peace, experienced the Arab invasion, which ended at the end of the 8th century.
In the next 9 centuries, the country often changed hands until it became part of the Timurid Empire in the 14th century. During this period, Herat became the second center of this state. After 2 centuries, the last representative of the Timurid dynasty - Babur - founded an empire with a center in Kabul and began to make campaigns in India. Soon he moved to India, and the territory of Afghanistan became part of the Safavid country.
The decline of this state in the 18th century led to the formation of feudal khanates and an uprising against Iran. In the same period, the Gilzei principality was formed with its capital in the city of Kandahar, defeated in 1737 by the Persian army of Nadir Shah.
Durranian Power
Oddly enough, Afghanistan (the history of the country in ancient times is already known to you) has acquired an independentstatehood only in 1747, when Ahmad Shah Durrani founded a kingdom with its capital in Kandahar. Under his son Timur Shah, Kabul was proclaimed the main city of the state, and by the beginning of the 19th century Shah Mahmud began to rule the country.
British colonial expansion
The history of Afghanistan from ancient times to the beginning of the 19th century is fraught with many mysteries, since many of its pages have been studied relatively poorly. The same cannot be said about the period after the invasion of its territory by the Anglo-Indian troops. The "new masters" of Afghanistan loved order and carefully documented all events. In particular, from the surviving documents, as well as from the letters of British soldiers and officers to their families, details are known not only of the battles and uprisings of the local population, but also of their way of life and traditions.
So, the history of the war in Afghanistan, which was waged by the Anglo-Indian troops, began in 1838. A few months later, a 12,000-strong group of British armed forces stormed Kandahar, and a little later, Kabul. The emir evaded a collision with a superior enemy and went into the mountains. However, its representatives constantly visited the capital, and in 1841 unrest among the local population began in Kabul. The British command decided to retreat to India, but on the way the army was killed by Afghan partisans. A vicious punitive raid followed.
First Anglo-Afghan War
The reason for the start of hostilities on the part of the British Empire was the command of the Russian government in1837 Lieutenant Vitkevich in Kabul. There he was supposed to be a resident under Dost Mohammed, who seized power in the Afghan capital. The latter at that time had been fighting for more than 10 years with his closest relative Shuja Shah, who was supported by London. The British regarded Vitkevich's mission as Russia's intention to gain a foothold in Afghanistan in order to penetrate India in the future.
In January 1839, a British army of 12,000 troops and 38,000 servants, on 30,000 camels, crossed the Bolan Pass. On April 25, she managed to take Kandahar without a fight and launch an offensive against Kabul.
Only the fortress of Ghazni offered serious resistance to the British, however, she was forced to surrender. The way to Kabul was opened, and the city fell on August 7, 1839. With the support of the British, Emir Shuja Shah reigned on the throne, and Emir Dost Mohammed fled to the mountains with a small group of fighters.
The reign of the protege of the British did not last long, as local feudal lords organized unrest and began to attack the invaders in all regions of the country.
In early 1842, the British and Indians agreed with them to open a corridor through which they could retreat to India. However, the Afghans attacked the British at Jalalabad, and out of 16,000 fighters, only one man escaped.
In response, punitive expeditions followed, and after the suppression of the uprising, the British entered into negotiations with Dost-Mohammed, persuading him to abandon rapprochement with Russia. A peace treaty was later signed.
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The situation in the country remained relatively stable until the Russo-Turkish War broke out in 1877. Afghanistan, whose history is a long list of armed conflicts, again found itself between two fires. The fact is that when London expressed dissatisfaction with the success of the Russian troops rapidly moving towards Istanbul, Petersburg decided to play the Indian card. For this purpose, a mission was sent to Kabul, which was received with honors by Emir Sher Ali Khan. On the advice of Russian diplomats, the latter refused to let the British embassy into the country. This was the reason for the introduction of British troops into Afghanistan. They occupied the capital and forced the new emir Yakub Khan to sign an agreement according to which his state had no right to conduct foreign policy without the mediation of the British government.
In 1880, Abdurrahman Khan became emir. He made an attempt to enter into an armed conflict with the Russian troops in Turkestan, but was defeated in March 1885 in the Kushka region. As a result, London and St. Petersburg jointly defined the boundaries in which Afghanistan (history in the 20th century is presented below) exists to this day.
Independence from the British Empire
In 1919, as a result of the assassination of Emir Khabibullah Khan and a coup d'état, Amanullah Khan came to the throne, proclaiming the country's independence from Great Britain and declaring jihad against it. He was mobilized, and a 12,000-strong army of regular fighters moved to India, supported by a 100,000-strong army of nomadic partisans.
The history of the war in Afghanistan, unleashed by the British in order to maintain their influence, also contains a mention of the first massive air raid in the history of this country. Kabul was attacked by the British Air Force. As a result of the panic that arose among the inhabitants of the capital, and after several lost battles, Amanullah Khan asked for peace.
In August 1919, a peace treaty was signed. According to this document, the country received the right to foreign relations, but lost the annual British subsidy of 60,000 pounds sterling, which until 1919 amounted to about half of Afghanistan's budget revenues.
Kingdom
In 1929, Amanullah Khan, who, after a trip to Europe and the USSR, was going to start fundamental reforms, was overthrown as a result of the uprising of Khabibullah Kalakani, nicknamed Bachai Sakao (Son of the Water Carrier). An attempt to return the former emir to the throne, supported by the Soviet troops, was not successful. This was taken advantage of by the British, who overthrew Bachai Sakao and put Nadir Khan on the throne. With his accession, modern Afghan history began. The monarchy in Afghanistan became known as royal, and the emirate was abolished.
In 1933, Nadir Khan, who was killed by a cadet during a parade in Kabul, was replaced on the throne by his son Zahir Shah. He was a reformer and was considered one of the most enlightened and progressive Asian monarchs of his time.
In 1964, Zahir Shah issued a new constitution that was aimed at democratizing Afghanistan and eliminating discrimination against women. As a result, the radical clergy began to expressdiscontent and actively engage in the destabilization of the situation in the country.
Daud's dictatorship
As the history of Afghanistan says, the 20th century (the period from 1933 to 1973) was truly golden for the state, as industry appeared in the country, good roads, the education system was modernized, a university was founded, hospitals were built, etc. However, on In the 40th year after his accession to the throne, Zahir Shah was overthrown by his cousin, Prince Mohammed Daoud, who proclaimed Afghanistan a republic. After that, the country became an arena of confrontation between various groups that expressed the interests of Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras, as well as other ethnic communities. In addition, radical Islamic forces have entered into a confrontation. In 1975, they raised an uprising that swept the provinces of Paktia, Badakhshan and Nangarhar. However, the government of the dictator Daoud managed to suppress it with difficulty.
At the same time, representatives of the People's Democratic Party of the country (PDPA) also tried to destabilize the situation. At the same time, she had significant support in the Armed Forces of Afghanistan.
DRA
The history of Afghanistan (20th century) experienced another turning point in 1978. On April 27 there was a revolution. After Noor Mohammad Taraki came to power, Mohammed Daoud and all members of his family were killed. Hafizullah Amin and Babrak Karmal ended up in top leadership positions.
Background to the introduction of a limited contingent of Soviet troops into Afghanistan
The policy of the new authorities to liquidatelagging behind the country met with the resistance of the Islamists, which escalated into a civil war. Unable to cope with the situation on its own, the Afghan government repeatedly appealed to the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee with a request to provide military assistance. However, the Soviet authorities abstained, as they foresaw the negative consequences of such a step. At the same time, they strengthened the security of the state border in the Afghan sector and increased the number of military advisers in the neighboring country. At the same time, the KGB constantly received intelligence that the US was actively funding anti-government forces.
Killing Taraki
History of Afghanistan (20th century) contains information about several political assassinations in order to seize power. One such event took place in September 1979, when the leader of the PDPA, Taraki, was arrested and executed on the orders of Hafizullah Amin. Under the new dictator, terror unfolded in the country, affecting the army, in which rebellions and desertion became commonplace. Since the VTs were the main support for the PDPA, the Soviet government saw in the current situation a threat of its overthrow and the coming to power of forces hostile to the USSR. In addition, it became known that Amin has secret contacts with American emissaries.
As a result, it was decided to develop an operation to overthrow him and replace him with a leader more loyal to the USSR. The main candidate for this role was Babrak Karmal.
History of the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989): preparation
Preparations for a coup in a neighboring state began inDecember 1979, when a specially created "Muslim Battalion" was deployed to Afghanistan. The history of this unit is still a mystery to many. It is only known that he was staffed with GRU officers from the Central Asian republics, who were well aware of the traditions of the peoples living in Afghanistan, their language and way of life.
The decision to send troops was made in mid-December 1979 at a meeting of the Politburo. Only A. Kosygin did not support him, because of which he had a serious conflict with Brezhnev.
The operation began on December 25, 1979, when the 781st separate reconnaissance battalion of the 108th MSD entered the territory of the DRA. Then the transfer of other Soviet military formations began. By the middle of the day on December 27, they completely controlled Kabul, and in the evening they began to storm Amin's palace. It lasted only 40 minutes, and after its completion it became known that most of those who were there, including the country's leader, were killed.
Brief chronology of events between 1980 and 1989
Real stories about the war in Afghanistan are stories about the heroism of soldiers and officers who did not always understand for whom and for what they were forced to risk their lives. Briefly, the chronology is as follows:
- March 1980 - April 1985. Conducting hostilities, including large-scale ones, as well as work on the reorganization of the DRA Armed Forces.
- April 1985 - January 1987. Support for the Afghan troops by Air Force aviation, sapper units and artillery, as well as an active struggle to curb the supply of weapons from abroad.
- January1987 - February 1989 Participation in activities for the implementation of the policy of national reconciliation.
By the beginning of 1988, it became clear that the presence of the Soviet armed contingent on the territory of the DRA was inappropriate. We can assume that the history of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan began on February 8, 1988, when the question of choosing a date for this operation was raised at a meeting of the Politburo.
It was May 15th. However, the last unit of the SA left Kabul on February 4, 1989, and the withdrawal of troops ended on February 15 with the crossing of the state border by Lieutenant General B. Gromov.
In the 90s
Afghanistan, whose history and prospects for peaceful development in the future are rather vague, plunged into the abyss of a brutal civil war in the last decade of the 20th century.
At the end of February 1989, in Peshawar, the Afghan opposition elected the leader of the Alliance of Seven, S. Mujaddedi, as the head of the "Transitional Government of the Mujahideen" and began hostilities against the pro-Soviet regime.
In April 1992, the opposition seized Kabul, and the next day its leader, in the presence of foreign diplomats, was proclaimed President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. The history of the country after this "inaguration" made a sharp turn towards radicalism. One of the first decrees, signed by S. Mojaddedi, declared invalid all laws that were contrary to Islam.
In the same year, he handed over power to the group of Burhanuddin Rabbani. This decision was the cause of ethnic strife, during which the field commanders destroyed each other. Soon, Rabbani's authority weakened so much that his government ceased to carry out any activity in the country.
At the end of September 1996, the Taliban captured Kabul, seized the deposed President Najibullah and his brother, who were hiding in the building of the UN mission, and publicly executed by hanging on one of the squares of the Afghan capital.
A few days later, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was proclaimed, the creation of a Provisional Ruling Council, consisting of 6 members, headed by Mullah Omar, was announced. Having come to power, the Taliban to some extent stabilized the situation in the country. However, they had many opponents.
October 9, 1996, a meeting of one of the main oppositionists - Dostum - and Rabbani took place in the vicinity of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. They were joined by Ahmad Shah Massoud and Karim Khalili. As a result, the Supreme Council was established and efforts were united for a common fight against the Taliban. The group was called the "Northern Alliance". She managed to form an independent in the north of Afghanistan during 1996-2001. state.
After the invasion of international forces
The history of modern Afghanistan has received a new development after the well-known terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. The United States used it as a pretext for invading that country, declaring its main goal to overthrow the Taliban regime that harbored Osama bin Laden. On October 7, the territory of Afghanistan was subjected to massive air strikes, which weakened the forces of the Taliban. In December, a council of Afghan elders was convenedtribes, which was headed by the future (since 2004) President Hamid Karzai.
At the same time, NATO ended its occupation of Afghanistan and the Taliban turned to guerrilla warfare. From that time to this day, terrorist attacks have not stopped in the country. In addition, every day it turns into a huge plantation for growing opium poppy. Suffice it to say that, according to conservative estimates, about 1 million people in this country are drug addicts.
At the same time, the unknown stories of Afghanistan, presented without retouching, were a shock for Europeans or Americans, including because of the cases of aggression shown by NATO soldiers against civilians. Perhaps this circumstance is due to the fact that everyone is already tired of the war. These words are also confirmed by Barack Obama's decision to withdraw troops. However, it has not yet been implemented, and now the Afghans hope that the new US president will not change plans, and the foreign military will finally leave the country.
Now you know the ancient and recent history of Afghanistan. Today, this country is going through hard times, and one can only hope that peace will finally come to its land.
