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Afghanistan,officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia,it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south,Iran to the west,Turkmenistan to the northwest,Uzbekistan to the north,Tajikistan to the northeast,and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land,the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest,which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital. According to the World Population review,as of 2021,Afghanistan's population is 40.2 million. The National Statistics Information Authority of Afghanistan estimated the population to be 32.9 million as of 2020.
The Taliban,which also refers to itself by its state name,the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,is an Afghan militant movement in Afghanistan with an ideology comprising elements of Pashtun nationalism and the Deobandi current of Islamic fundamentalism. It ruled approximately three-quarters of the country from 1996 to 2001,before being overthrown following the American invasion. It recaptured Kabul on 15 August 2021 following the departure of most coalition forces,after nearly 20 years of insurgency,and currently controls all of the country. Its government is not recognized by any country. The Taliban government has been internationally condemned for restricting human rights in Afghanistan,including the right of women and girls to work and to have an education.
The treatment of women by the Taliban refers to actions and policies by various Taliban regimes which are either specific or highly commented upon,mostly due to discrimination,since they first took control in 1996. During their first rule of Afghanistan (1996–2001),the Taliban were notorious internationally for their misogyny and violence against women. In 1996,women were mandated to wear the burqa at all times in public. In a systematic segregation sometimes referred to as gender apartheid,women were not allowed to work,nor were they allowed to be educated after the age of eight. Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools,where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. They were not allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone,which led to illnesses remaining untreated. They faced public flogging and execution for violations of the Taliban's laws.
The national flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,adopted on 15 August 2021 following the Taliban's victory in the 2001–2021 war,features a white field with a black Shahada inscribed. Since the 20th century,Afghanistan has changed its national flag several times. The national flag had black,red and green colors most of the time during the period.
The Council of Ministers of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is the executive body of the government of Afghanistan,responsible for day-to-day governance and the implementation of policy set by the Leadership. It is headed by the prime minister—who serves as the nation's head of government—and his deputies,and consists of the heads and deputy heads of the government ministries.
Sirajuddin Haqqani is an Afghan warlord who is the first deputy leader of Afghanistan and the acting interior minister. He has been a deputy leader of the Taliban since 2015,and was additionally appointed to his ministerial role after the Taliban's victory over Western-backed forces in the 2001–2021 war. He has led the Haqqani network,a semi-autonomous paramilitary arm of the Taliban,since inheriting it from his father in 2018,and has primarily had military responsibilities within the Taliban.
The Pakistani Taliban,formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan,is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud,its current leader is Noor Wali Mehsud,who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban share a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban and have assisted them in the 2001–2021 war,but the two groups have separate operation and command structures.
The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict from 2001 to 2021. It was the direct response to the September 11 attacks. It began when an international military coalition led by the United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan,declaring Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the earlier-declared war on terror;toppling the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and establishing the Islamic Republic three years later. The Taliban and its allies were expelled from major population centers by the US-led forces,supporting the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance;however Bin Laden relocated to neighboring Pakistan. The conflict officially ended with the 2021 Taliban offensive,which overthrew the Islamic Republic,and re-established the Islamic Emirate. It was the longest war in the military history of the United States,surpassing the length of the Vietnam War (1955–1975) by approximately six months.
The Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,also translated as the Supreme Council,is an advisory council to the Supreme Leader of Afghanistan. The supreme leader convenes and chairs the council at his sole discretion. He has ultimate authority and may override or circumvent it at any time. It played a key role in directing the Taliban insurgency from Quetta,Pakistan,which led to it being informally referred to as the Quetta Shura at the time.
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada,also spelled Haibatullah Akhunzada,is an Afghan Deobandi Islamic scholar,cleric,and jurist who is the supreme leader of Afghanistan. He has led the Taliban since 2016,and came to power with its victory over U.S.-backed forces in the 2001–2021 war. A highly reclusive figure,he has almost no digital footprint except for an unverified photograph and several audio recordings of speeches.
Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid is an Afghan commander and cleric who is the second deputy leader of Afghanistan and the acting defense minister. He has been a deputy leader of the Taliban since 2016,and was additionally appointed to his ministerial role after the Taliban's victory over Western-backed forces in the 2001–2021 war. He has been the Taliban's military chief since 2020.
Peace processes have taken place during several phases of the Afghanistan conflict,which has lasted since the 1978 Saur Revolution.
The Islamic State–Taliban conflict is an ongoing armed conflict between the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The conflict initially began when both operated as insurgent groups in Nangarhar;since the creation of the Taliban's emirate in 2021,IS-KP have targeted and assassinated Taliban members using hit-and-run tactics. The group have also caused incidents and attacks across the border in Pakistan.
The Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan,commonly known as the United States–Taliban deal or the Doha Accord,was a peace agreement signed by the United States and the Taliban on 29 February 2020 in Doha,Qatar,to bring an end to the 2001–2021 war in Afghanistan. Negotiated for the US by Zalmay Khalilzad for the Trump Administration,the agreement did not involve the then Afghan government. The deal,which also had secret annexes,was one of the critical events that caused the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces. Adhering to the conditions of the deal,the US dramatically reduced the number of US air raids,leaving the ANSF without a key advantage in keeping the Taliban at bay. This resulted in 'a sense of abandonment within the ANSF and the Afghan population'. ANSF was ill-prepared to sustain security following a US withdrawal,which allowed for the Taliban insurgency,ultimately leading to the Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August 2021.
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was a presidential republic that ruled Afghanistan from 2004 to 2021. The state was established to replace the Afghan interim (2001–2002) and transitional (2002–2004) administrations,which were formed after the 2001 United States invasion of Afghanistan that had toppled the partially recognized Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. However,on 15 August 2021,the country was recaptured by the Taliban,which marked the end of the 2001–2021 war,the longest war in US history. This led to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic,led by President Ashraf Ghani,and the reinstatement of the Islamic Emirate under the control of the Taliban. While the United Nations still recognizes the Islamic Republic as the legitimate government of Afghanistan,this toppled regime controls no portion of the country today,nor does it operate in exile;it effectively no longer exists. The Islamic Emirate is the de facto ruling government. The US–Taliban deal,signed on 29 February 2020 in Qatar,was one of the critical events that caused the collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Following the deal,the US dramatically reduced the number of air attacks and deprived the ANSF of a critical edge in fighting the Taliban insurgency,leading to the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
The supreme leader of Afghanistan,officially the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and also styled by his religious title Amir al-Mu'minin,is the absolute ruler,head of state,and national religious leader of Afghanistan,as well as the leader of the Taliban. The supreme leader wields unlimited authority and is the ultimate source of all law.
The republican insurgency in Afghanistan is an ongoing low-level guerilla war between the National Resistance Front and allied groups which fight under the banner of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on one side,and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the other side. On 17 August 2021,former first vice president of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh declared himself the "caretaker" president of Afghanistan and announced the resistance. On 26 August,a brief ceasefire was declared. On 1 September,talks broke down and fighting resumed as the Taliban attacked resistance positions.
The Taliban has ruled Afghanistan as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since taking control by force in 2021,overthrowing the internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The takeover was widely criticized by the international community,and no countries have extended diplomatic recognition to the new regime,despite nominally maintaining relations with Afghanistan. The Taliban has campaigned for international recognition since the takeover. Several countries have vowed never to recognize the Islamic Emirate,and others have said they will do so only if human rights in the country are respected. Some countries have accredited Taliban diplomats at the chargéd'affaires level despite not recognizing the Islamic Emirate. In September 2023,China became the first country to formally name a new ambassador to the country since the takeover,and in January 2024 recognized the Taliban's envoy to China;however,China still does not formally recognize the Taliban.
The politics of Afghanistan are based on a totalitarian emirate within the Islamic theocracy in which the Taliban Movement holds a monopoly on power. Dissent is not permitted,and politics are mostly limited to internal Taliban policy debates and power struggles. As the government is provisional,there is no constitution or other basis for the rule of law. The structure is autocratic,with all power concentrated in the hands of the supreme leader and his clerical advisors. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices Afghanistan was as of 2023 the 4th least electoral democratic country in the world.
References
- ↑ کاکړ, جاويد هميم (March 4, 2022). "په یو شمیر وزارتونو، قول اردو ګانو او ولایتونو کې نوې ټاکنې وشوې" – via pajhwok.com.
- ↑ "Taliban make themselves at home in Dostum's mansion". The Express Tribune. September 12, 2021.