History Channel documentary "Afghanistan, the Dark Years"
The earliest human traces in Afghanistan date back to the Middle Paleolithic, and the country's strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. Historically, its territory has been inhabited by various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those of Alexander the Great, the Mauryans, the Muslim Arabs, the Mongols, the British, the Soviets, and the United States along with NATO allies. It is therefore known as the "graveyard of empires," although it has been occupied during several different periods of its history. This land also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Hephthalites, Samanids, Saffaris, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Khilkhs, Mughals, Hotakis, Durranis, and others rose to forge great empires.
Modern Afghanistan began with the Hotaki and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century, Afghanistan became a pivotal state in the "Great Game" between British India and the Russian Empire. After the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, the country was liberated from foreign rule and finally became the Kingdom of Afghanistan in June 1926 under King Amanullah Khan. This kingdom lasted for almost fifty years, until King Mohammed Zahir Shah was overthrown in a coup led by Mohammad Daoud Khan, and the Republic of Afghanistan was established in 1973. In 1978, following the Saur Revolution, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was established. The Soviet Union's intervention in support of the communist government sparked the Afghan War (1978–1992) against the Islamic guerrillas, who were supported by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other Western and Muslim nations. The Soviets withdrew in 1989, but the civil war continued until 1996 when the Taliban established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan based on their interpretation of Sharia law, which ruled most of the country as a totalitarian regime for five years. sup 18,19 /sup
In 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks, a US-led NATO coalition entered the country to overthrow the Taliban and installed the government that constitutes the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, beginning a new Afghan war. In 2014, the United States and NATO formally declared their withdrawal from the war, but maintained troops in the country in support of the government. In September 2020, the government and the Taliban—who controlled more than half of the country at the time—began negotiations considered "historic" with the aim of achieving peace and establishing a new constitutional regime that could combine both visions of the Islamic state. The negotiations failed, and the two sides remained in conflict until 2021. On September 8, 2021, the Taliban group, which governed the country, declared Afghanistan an Islamic Emirate and formed a new government.