COUNTRY PROFI LE:

AFGHANI STAN

Landlocked and mountainous,
Afghanistan has suffered from such
chronic instability and conflict during its
modern history that its economy and
infrastructure are in ruins, and many of
its people are refugees.




Since the fall of the Taliban administration in
2001, adherents of the hard-line Islamic
movement have re-grouped. It is now a
resurgent force, particularly in the south and
east, and the government has struggled to
extend its authority beyond the capital and to
forge national unity. Its strategic position
sandwiched between the Middle East, Central
Asia and the Indian subcontinent along the
ancient "Silk Route" means that Afghanistan has
long been fought over - despite its rugged and
forbidding terrain.



Afghanistan has drawn in military forces from several parts of the world. It was at the centre of the so-called
"Great Game" in the 19th century when Imperial Russia and the British Empire in India vied for influence.
And it became a key Cold War battleground after thousands of Soviet troops intervened in 1979 to prop up
a pro-communist regime, leading to a major confrontation that drew in the US and Afghanistan's
neighbours. But the outside world eventually lost interest after the withdrawal of Soviet forces, while the
country's protracted civil war dragged on.

The emergence of the Taliban - originally a group of Islamic scholars - brought at least a measure of
stability after nearly two decades of conflict. But their extreme version of Islam attracted widespread
criticism. The Taliban - drawn from the largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns - were opposed by an alliance of
factions drawn mainly from Afghanistan's other communities and based in the north.In control of about 90%
of Afghanistan until late 2001, the Taliban were recognised as the legitimate government by only three
countries. They were at loggerheads with the international community over the presence on their soil of
Osama bin Laden, who ordered the bombing of US embassies in Africa in 1998 and the attacks in the US
on 11 September 2001. After the Taliban's refusal to hand over Bin Laden, the US initiated aerial attacks in
October 2001, paving the way for opposition groups to drive them from power and heralding a long-term,
Nato-led military presence. Predictions of the Taliban's demise after the adoption of a new constitution in
2004 proved to be premature - the extremist group came back with a vengeance and violence increased.

Military withdrawal
Amid a rising death toll and the increasing unpopularity of the conflict among Western voters, pressure
grew for a withdrawal of foreign forces. In 2012, the 11th year of the conflict, Nato backed plans to hand
over combat duties to Afghan forces by mid-2013. Some 130,000 Nato-led combat troops will leave
Afghanistan by December 2014. The alliance says it is committed to a long-term strategic relationship with
Afghanistan beyond that date. Foreign military trainers will stay on. Meanwhile, tentative steps towards a
negotiated peace agreement began in 2012, when the Taliban announced they had agreed to open an
office in Dubai for talks with US officials. Pakistan agreed to cooperate with the process after talks in Britain
in early 2013, and Afghanistan said it was ready for talks in the summer.

Drugs trade
Afghanistan's economy depends heavily on the drugs trade. The country supplies over 90% of the world's
opium, the raw ingredient of heroin. International bodies and governments say the drugs trade is helping to
fuel the Taliban insurgency, which is estimated to receive up to US$100m a year from the trade. The UN
Office on Drugs and Crime has called on Afghanistan to target the major traffickers and corrupt government
officials, who it says operate with impunity.

Afghans have resolutely defended their independence from foreign influence

The war in Afghanistan began back in 2001.
A group called the Taliban had controlled most of the country since 1996 but they were overthrown in
November 2001 by British and American armed forces, as well as lots of Afghan fighters from a group
called the Northern Alliance.

Why was there a war?
During the time that the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, they allowed an organisation called al-Qaeda to
have training camps there. In September 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The United States believed that Osama Bin Laden - who was the head of al-Qaeda - was the man behind
these attacks. There was a lot of international pressure on the Afghan leaders to hand over Osama Bin
Laden. When the Taliban didn't do this, the United States decided they would use their armed forces.
In October 2001, the USA began bombing Afghanistan. They targeted bin Laden's al-Qaeda fighters and
also the Taliban. In November 2001, the Northern Alliance took control of the Afghan capital Kabul. They
were being helped by the US and other countries that agreed with it, including the UK. The Taliban were
quickly driven out of the capital city, Kabul, but even today Afghanistan remains a dangerous place.
British troops and forces from other countries are still there, trying to help the Afghan government build a
stable nation - but Taliban fighters continue to carry out surprise attacks, and soldiers and Afghan civilians
are still dying. It was in 2011, ten years after the war in Afghanistan began that Osama bin Laden was
eventually found by American soldiers in Pakistan, where he was shot and killed.

British armed forces in Afghanistan are part of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force,
which is normally called Nato-ISAF.
The British soldiers work with troops from many other countries.
Nato-ISAF's job is to help the new government by doing things like:
Training the Afghan armed forces and police.
Guarding important buildings.
In parts of the country they also patrol the street in the way that the police do in Britain.
Fighting armed groups including the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

The Taliban fighters are supporters of a group of extreme religious leaders who controlled
Afghanistan from the mid-1990s until 2001.
They are followers of Islam but their beliefs are much more extreme than those of most Muslims. They are
fighting because they want their leaders to get back in charge of Afghanistan. The Taliban want to turn
Afghanistan into what they believe would be the world's purest Islamic country.

What was life like under the Taliban?
When the Taliban leaders were in control last time they banned many things, including education for girls,
make-up, kite-flying and films. But some Afghans still took part in these things in secret, risking extreme
punishment if they were found out. The Taliban's strict laws and extreme punishments did make them
unpopular with other countries. But this was not the reason they were attacked in 2001.

WATCH - http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/13847782
The children of Kabul