Portal:Afghanistan

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edit   Afghanistan Shortcuts: P:AFGH P:AFG Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Persian: جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان), is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the centre of Asia. It is variously designated as geographically located within Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. It has religious, ethno-linguistic, and geographic links with most of its neighbouring states. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast. The name Afghanistan means the "Land of Afghans." Afghanistan is a culturally mixed nation, a crossroads between the East and the West, and has been an ancient focal point of trade and migration. It has an important geostrategical location, connecting South, Central and Southwest Asia. During its long history, the land has seen various invaders and conquerors, while on the other hand, local entities invaded the surrounding vast regions to form their own empires. Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747, with its capital at Kandahar. Subsequently, the capital was shifted to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to former neighboring countries. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in "The Great Game" played between the British Indian Empire and Russian Empire. On August 19, 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war, the country regained full independence from the United Kingdom over its foreign affairs. Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has suffered continuous and brutal civil war, which included foreign interventions in the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the recent 2001 US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government. In late 2001 the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). This force is composed of NATO troops that are involved in assisting the government of President Hamid Karzai in establishing the writ of law as well as rebuilding key infrastructures in the nation. In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship. In the meantime, multi-billion US dollars have also been provided by the international community for the reconstruction of the country. More about Afghanistan ... Show new selections edit   Selected article Main article: Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) (Persian: جمهوری افغانستان) was a self-declared socialist state (but often referred to in the West as a "communist state") in the Middle East established by the Afghan communist party, People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) by then leader Nur Muhammad Taraki in 1978 in the Saur Revolution. From the start the republic ran into conflict with the local mujahideens which started what is known as the Afghan civil war. In 1979 the Soviet Union entered the country to help the communist government, they left however in 1989 after staying in the country in nine years. After the Soviet withdrawal, the Republic of Afghanistan continued to deal with attacks from the Mujahideen. They received funding and arms from the Soviet Union until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. For several years the government army had actually increased their effectiveness past levels ever achieved during the Soviet military presence. But the government was dealt a major blow when Abdul Rashid Dostum, a leading general, switched allegiances to the Mujahideen in 1992 and together they captured the city of Kabul. edit   Selected biography Portal:Afghanistan/Selected biography/4 Suggest • More Biographies... edit   In the news An estimated 90 civilians killed in an airstrike in Herat Province Nine US troops killed in Afghanistan as Taliban attack base Afghan government claims U.S. air strike killed dozens of civilians Suicide bomber attacks Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing at least 41 President Bush signs $162 billion war funding bill Prisoners escape from Afghan jail after Taliban attack International ban on cluster bombs "very close" says British Prime Minister Airliner hijacker found working for British Airways President of Afghanistan uninjured after assassination attempt Two British servicemen killed in roadside bombing 11 policemen dead after attack by Taliban More current events... Current events on Wikinews edit   Things to do edit · history · watch · refresh  To-do list for Portal:Afghanistan: Here are some tasks you can do: Cleanup: Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi Merge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Association_of_the_Women_of_Afghanistan edit   Selected picture President Hamid Karzai's August 2007 visit to the United States, where he was met by George and Laura Bush at Camp David in Maryland. edit   Did you know? ... that there still a large amount of gastropods remain to be discovered in Afghanistan? ... that some leading botanists believe that Afghanistan is the birthplace of pomegranate cultivation? ... that Samangan (Aybak), the capital of Samangan Province, lies on the Khulm River? Archive – Start a new article edit   Categories Category:Ethnic groups in Afghanistan Category:Afghan tribes edit   WikiProject Main WikiProject: WikiProject Afghanistan Other related WikiProjects: Geographical: Central Asia: China · Iran · Kazakhstan · Kyrgyzstan · Pakistan · Russia · Soviet Union · Tajikistan · Tibet · Turkmenistan · Uzbekistan Religious: Islam {{{1}}} edit   Wikimedia Afghanistan on Wikinews News Afghanistan on Wikiquote Quotes Afghanistan on Commons Images Afghanistan on Wikisource Texts Afghanistan on Wikibooks Books edit   Related portals What are portals? · List of portals · Featured portals Purge server cache Middle East Asia SAARC Iran Pakistan ( Khyber Pakhtunkhwa · Balochistan) People's Republic of China Tajikistan Uzbekistan Islam