How long has there been conflict in Afghanistan?

Due to its strategic location as a link between Central Asia the Middle East and South East Asia, the land of Afghanistan has appealed to ancient kingdoms, European empires, Cold War alliances, and contemporary world strategists. In recent decades, Afghanistan has suffered waves of violence propagated largely by external forces. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Afghan regional leaders united and successfully resisted the soviet occupation. The last Soviet soldier left Afghanistan on February 15 1989. However, this fighting prevented Afghanistan’s development and consolidation as a state. Once the Soviet Union fell in 1989, internal divisions and external pressure led to further instability, which was exploited by the Taliban. The Taliban captured Kabul in 1998 establishing their tyrannical reign throughout the country. The September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001 dramatically changed the fate of Afghanistan. With the Taliban overthrown and a new democratically ...  more