Afghanistan, War-plagued Country

Afghanistan, a war-torn nation, is facing a devastating US military strike which began hours ago.

Afghanistan, a land-locked, mountainous country, has an area of 652,300 square kilometers and a population of 19 million, with Kabul as its capital.

It neighbors Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, Iran in the west, China in the northeast and Pakistan in the east and south.

Its main nationalities are Pushtu, Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek. Most of Afghans are Muslims of the Sunni sect.

Of the many languages spoken in Afghanistan, the official languages are Pashto and Dari, a dialect of Farsi.

Afghanistan, which became a unified country in 1747, sustained three British aggressions during 1838-1919. The Afghan people gained independence after defeating the British aggressors in 1919.

Afghanistan was declared a republic in July 1973 when the 1964 Constitution was abolished and Mohammad Zahir Shah, the last king, ended his 40-year rule.

The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) came to power after overthrowing Mohammad Daoud's government through a military coup in April 1978, and Afghanistan was renamed the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

The democratic republic was invaded twice by the former Soviet Union in December 1979 and in December 1987 respectively before it changed its name to the Republic of Afghanistan.

After the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops in February 1989, Afghan Muslim guerrillas overthrew the Soviet-backed PDPA regime

and the country was renamed the Islamic State of Afghanistan in April 1992.

On September 27, 1996, the Afghan Taliban militia captured Kabul and Taliban supreme leader Mulla Mohammed Omar appointed a six-member council to serve as the interim government in Kabul.

Afghanistan was renamed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by the Taliban on October 27, 1997. Only three countries in the world-- Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia -- have recognized the Taliban administration.

Afghanistan, a poor agricultural country, was listed as one of the least developed countries by the United Nations in 1971. The protracted war has wrecked havoc on the country's economy and forced more than 5 million people to flee as refugees.






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