Afghanistan's recent history has been covered with neverending tragedy and suffering. But the series of war that has led to the present situation didn't begun with the soviet invasion of the country, but with Mohammed Daoud Khan's coud d'etat in 1973.
In 1979 the Soviet Union decides to invade Afghanistan, with support of the the Parcham, one of the factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.
In 1979 the Soviet Union decides to invade Afghanistan, with support of the the Parcham, one of the factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.
In the following years, the soviets faced the opposition of the mujahideens (supported by the USA) and others groups (such as the Northern Alliance).
In 1989 the soviets left Afghanistan. President Burhanuddin Rabbani faced then another threat: the talibans, backed by the mujahideens, establishing in 1996 the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and controling the 95% of the country.
During the talibane seven-year-rule Afghanistan went back to the middle ages in almost all aspects of life and freedom, unde the sharia (islamic law) inforced by them.
But there are two stories that I find really interesting from this period. The first is how many teachers risked their lives to teach girls, which was totally forbidden by talibans. People who defied the official prohibition of teaching girls, and took part in secret schools to continue their education. One example, Mohammed Halim, disembowelled and murdered for teaching girls [*] or Suraya Pakzad [*]. In fact, it seems that a whole secret conspiracy survied to provide this girls of education [*].
During the talibane seven-year-rule Afghanistan went back to the middle ages in almost all aspects of life and freedom, unde the sharia (islamic law) inforced by them.
But there are two stories that I find really interesting from this period. The first is how many teachers risked their lives to teach girls, which was totally forbidden by talibans. People who defied the official prohibition of teaching girls, and took part in secret schools to continue their education. One example, Mohammed Halim, disembowelled and murdered for teaching girls [*] or Suraya Pakzad [*]. In fact, it seems that a whole secret conspiracy survied to provide this girls of education [*].
The other story is the life and death of Ahmad Shah Massoud (or Masud), aka the Lion of Panjshir. Engineering student in the Kabul University, he became leader of the resistance against the soviet invasion. After the withdrawal of the soviet army, Massoud became the Defense Minister in 1992 under the government of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. When the talibans arrived to Kabul, he came back to the north as the leader of the Northern Alliance. He was supported by his former enemy, Russia, and by China and India, while the talibans had the approval of the USA.
But just two days before September 11th, 2001, Massoud was to give an interview, but the two supposed journalists, Dahmane Abd el-Sattar and Bouraoui el-Ouaer, where suicide terrorists from Al Qaeda. They carried a bomb that killed Massoud.
Many speculations have been made why Al Qaeda killed Massoud; one is that they wanted to kill the head of the opposition to the taliban regime before the ofensive that they expected after the coming September 11th bombing. But this seems highly hipothetical. It is more likely, like it has been proposed too, that this killing was in gratitude to the protection given by the talibans to Osama Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders.
But just two days before September 11th, 2001, Massoud was to give an interview, but the two supposed journalists, Dahmane Abd el-Sattar and Bouraoui el-Ouaer, where suicide terrorists from Al Qaeda. They carried a bomb that killed Massoud.
Many speculations have been made why Al Qaeda killed Massoud; one is that they wanted to kill the head of the opposition to the taliban regime before the ofensive that they expected after the coming September 11th bombing. But this seems highly hipothetical. It is more likely, like it has been proposed too, that this killing was in gratitude to the protection given by the talibans to Osama Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders.
