The document provides background information on Afghanistan, including its terrain, ethnic groups, religion, important issues, and history of foreign involvement. It discusses Afghanistan's struggle for independence from Britain in the late 1800s. It also covers the Soviet invasion in the 1970s, the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, and US intervention beginning in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. The current situation involves efforts to rebuild the country while preventing the Taliban from regaining power and controlling the illegal drug trade.

1. Exhibit Toppled! A Cal Poly Pomona student walks by the 30-foot replica of a wall that separates Israeli and Palestinian neighborhoods on Tuesday. The wall was knocked down early Monday by vandals, officials said. Why do you think this would happen based on what you learned about these two countries?

2. Afghanistan People, Places, and Politics

3. History of Afghanistan in 3 Minutes.

4. Regional Map Afghanistan is a landlocked country, making the export of goods difficult and expensive. There are limited natural fresh water sources Most of the land has been overgrazed and deforested It is one of the least developed countries in the world

5. Terrain and Physical Features Photo by U.S. Army 10 th Mountain Division-Light Infantry

6. The People The Afghan people are some of the poorest in the world and are members of many different ethnic groups. This woman is part of a herding tribe and is drying dung to use as insulation in her home during the winter. Life is difficult for most Afghans as they have faced drought, famine and war for many years.

7. Ethnic Groups Map Pashtun : largest ethnic group, mostly farmers and Sunni Muslims Tajik : live mostly in the northeast, second largest ethnic group, mostly Sunni Muslims Hazara : live in the Hindu Kush mountains, primarily Shiite Muslims Uzbek : live mostly along the northern border, mostly Sunni Muslims Aimaqs : a farming and herding tribe in the west, mostly Sunni Muslims Turkmen and Kirghiz : nomadic herders and craftsmen, mostly Sunni Muslims Baluch : nomadic tribe living in the southern deserts, Sunni Muslims

8. Covering “ Covering” is a religious duty. Women can only have their faces and hands showing in public. Men must not expose anything from navel to knee.

9. Religion Islam is the world’s second largest religion, with 21% of all people practicing this faith. Islam teaches that one can only find peace in life by submitting to Allah (Almighty God) in heart, soul, and deed. The Quran is the holy guide to Islam. Major aspects of the Islamic religion include testimony of faith, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. Sunni and Shia are the two most common forms of Islam with different beliefs in some of the specific premises of the religion.

10. Important Issues Afghanistan employs 80 percent of its workforce in farming or raising sheep and goats. Poppies are grown illegally as a source of opium, which is used to produce heroin. Drug lords make millions through unregulated trade of this drug. The Afghan government is working to eliminate illegal drug trade and encourage the growth of other agricultural crops for export.

11. Struggle for Freedom Afghanistan has long struggled for independence During the late 1800’s both Russia and Britain battled for control Russia wanted the land for access to the Indian Ocean Britain wanted the land to protect the northern border of India Britain would fight 3 separate wars before leaving in 1919

12. Struggle for Freedom These 3 separate Anglo-Afghan Wars would become known as “The Great Game” Yet in the past several decades it has grabbed the attention of the world with two high profile wars One against the Soviet Union One against the United States

13. Declaring Independence In 1919, Afghanistan declared itself an independent nation and established a monarchy The country attempted to modernize In 1964, an attempt was made to create a constitution and a more democratic government However, people showed little interest and as a result, a democratic system failed to develop

14. Pushing Back the Soviets Regardless, Afghanistan grew strong enough to establish good relations with Western Europe When the Cold War began, between the Soviet Union and the U.S., Afghanistan choose to remain neutral However over the years it received aid from both countries Situated close to the Soviet Union however, Afghanistan would not be able to hold over forever

15. Pushing Back the Soviets In 1973, military leaders would overthrow the Afghan government Five years later, a rival group with strong ties to the Soviet Union, seized control Much of the population opposed the new group and its association with the Soviets Many people felt that the Communist ideal conflicted with teachings of Islam

16. War with the Soviets With the Soviets superior military force and advanced weapons, the war should have been a one-sided affair But the Afghan soldiers used guerilla tactics and the land to their advantage In addition, the U.S. provided financial and military assistance The C.I.A. trained the Afghans in creating car bombs, assassinations, and border raids

17. War with the Soviets Continued support for the Afghans came from Pakistan and England After 10 years of fighting and lose of life, the Soviet Union withdrew its troops After 10 years, Soviets lost 15,000 and the Afghans lost 1,000,000!!! The Afghans had taken on a world superpower and won! (some of the soldiers we trained would later go on to create al-Qaeda)

18. Rise and Fall of Taliban With the Soviets gone, various Afghan groups began to battle for control A conservative group, the Taliban, emerged as the victor Observers initially viewed the Taliban as a positive force Brought order for the war torn nation Rooted out corruption Promoted business

19. Rise and Fall of Taliban However this group follows an extreme view of Islamic law and applied it Afghan society Taliban leaders restricted women’s lives, forbid them to go to go to school or hold jobs Banned television and movies to modern music Punishments ranged from beatings, amputation, and execution

20. Rise and Fall of Taliban Even more troubling was the Taliban’s connection to the growing problem of world terrorism Western leaders accused the Taliban of letting terrorists groups train in Afghanistan Also for providing refuge for terrorists such as Osama bin Laden After Osama’s Al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center in September 2001 Afghanistan refused to turn him over to the U.S.

21. The militant Islamic terrorist network known as al-Qaida and led by Osama bin Laden, was based in Afghanistan for many years prior to U.S. attacks on the organization in October 2001 following the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The organization continues to grow, and bin Laden remains at large. More on this later…

22. Afghanistan Today The United States entered Afghanistan in October 2001 and replaced the Taliban with an elected president. Hamid Karzai became the first elected Afghan president. While the Taliban lost some power and the people regained some rights, the Taliban has not gone away. Instead, it has worked to regain power by promising to help Afghanistan’s poorest people and aligning itself with warlords, al-Qaida, and other militant groups to gain financial support and recruit new fighters

23. The lives of the Afghan people differ from ours in many ways. Above, a 16-year-old girl works at sewing for about $1 a day as part of a special training program. U.S. soldiers are a common sight in Afghanistan and often interact with the local people .

24. Politics: President Karzai President Hamid Karzai was the first elected president in the history of Afghanistan. He came to power after the Taliban was overthrown in late 2001. He was formally elected to a five-year term in 2004. Karzai has survived numerous assassination attempts and has been assigned the task of rebuilding Afghanistan. Some of the major problems he must address include providing the country with an infrastructure so that citizens have the basic necessities of life, keeping the Taliban out of power and controlling the warlords who perpetuate the illegal drug trade.