Historical Ambience
1933 8 November Nadir was assassinated. His son, Mohammed Zahir Shah, was proclaimed King. 1964 A new constitution was ratified which instituted a democratic legislature. 1965 1 January The MarxistPeople's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) held its first congress. 1978 28 April Saur Revolution: Military units loyal to the PDPA assaulted the Afghan Presidential Palace, killing President Mohammed Daoud Khan and his family. 1 May Saur Revolution: The PDPA installed its leader, Nur Muhammad Taraki, as President of Afghanistan. July A rebellion against the new Afghan government began with an uprising in Nuristan Province. 5 December A treaty was signed which permitted deployment of the Soviet military at the Afghan government's request. 1979 14 September Taraki was murdered by supporters of Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin. 24 December Soviet war in Afghanistan: Fearing the collapse of the Amin regime, the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan. 27 December Operation Storm-333: Soviet troops occupied major governmental, military and media buildings in Kabul, including the Tajbeg Palace, and executed Prime Minister Amin. 1988 14 April Soviet war in Afghanistan: The Soviet government signed the Geneva Accords, which included a timetable for withdrawing their armed forces. 1989 15 February Soviet war in Afghanistan: The last Soviet troops left the country. 1992 24 April Civil war in Afghanistan (1989-1992): Afghan political parties signed the Peshawar Accord which created the Islamic State of Afghanistan and proclaimed Sibghatullah Mojaddedi its interim President. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezbi Islami, with the support of neighboring Pakistan, began a massive bombardment against the Islamic State in the capital Kabul. 28 June As agreed upon in the Peshawar Accord, Jamiat-e Islami leader Burhanuddin Rabbani took over as President. 1993 January The Durand line Treaty is expired and all Afghans lands are supposed to be returned but Pakistan refuses to. 1994 August The Taliban government began to form in a small village between Lashkar Gah and Kandahar. 1995 January The Taliban, with Pakistani support, initiated a military campaign against the Islamic State of Afghanistan and its capital Kabul. 1995 13 March Taliban, tortured and killed Abdul Ali Mazari leader of the Hazara people. 1996 26 September Civil war in Afghanistan (1996-2001): The forces of the Islamic State retreated to northern Afghanistan. 27 September Civil war in Afghanistan (1996-2001): The Taliban conquered Kabul and declared the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Former President Mohammad Najibullah, who had been living under United Nations protection in Kabul, was tortured, castrated and executed by Taliban forces. 1998 August Civil war in Afghanistan (1996-2001): The Taliban captured Mazar-e Sharif, forcing Abdul Rashid Dostum into exile. 20 August Cruise missile strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan (August 1998): Cruise missiles were fired by the United StatesNavy into four militant training camps in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. [edit] 21st century Year Date Event 2001 March The Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan. 9 September Resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud was killed in a suicide bomb attack by two Arabs who disguised as French news reporters. 20 September After the September 11 attacks in the United States, U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush demanded the Taliban government to hand over al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden and close all terrorist training camps in the country. 21 September The Taliban refused Bush's ultimatum. 7 October Operation Enduring Freedom: The United States and the United Kingdom began an aerial bombing campaign against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. 5 December The United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to help maintain security in Afghanistan and assist the Karzai administration.[5] 20 December International Conference on Afghanistan in Germany: Hamid Karzai chosen as head of the Afghan Interim Administration.
Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Afghanistan