Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2021 | |||||||||
| Motto: لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله "Lā ʾilāha ʾillal-Lāh, Muḥammadur rasūl ul-Lāh" "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God." (Shahada) | |||||||||
| Anthem: Qal’a-yi Islām, Qalb-i Āsiyā قلعه اسلام قلب اسیا ("Fortress of Islam, Heart of Asia") (2004–2006) Surūd-i Millī ملی سرود ("National Anthem") (2006–2021) | |||||||||
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| Capital and largest city | Kabul 33°N66°E / 33°N 66°E /33; 66 | ||||||||
| Official languages | |||||||||
| Ethnic groups | |||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||
| Demonym | Afghan[a][4][5] | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary presidentialIslamic republic | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 2004–2014 | Hamid Karzai | ||||||||
• 2014–2021 | Ashraf Ghani | ||||||||
| Chief Executive | |||||||||
• 2014–2020 | Abdullah Abdullah | ||||||||
| Vice President[b] | |||||||||
• 2004–2009 | Ahmad Zia Massoud | ||||||||
• 2004–2014 | Karim Khalili | ||||||||
• 2009–2014 | Mohammed Fahim | ||||||||
• 2014[c] | Yunus Qanuni | ||||||||
• 2014–2020 | Abdul Rashid Dostum | ||||||||
• 2014–2021 | Sarwar Danish | ||||||||
• 2020–2021 | Amrullah Saleh | ||||||||
| Legislature | National Assembly | ||||||||
| House of Elders | |||||||||
| House of the People | |||||||||
| History | |||||||||
| 7 October 2001 | |||||||||
| 9 October 2004 | |||||||||
| 29 February 2020 | |||||||||
| 15 August 2021 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Water (%) | negligible | ||||||||
| 2020[6] | 652,864 km2 (252,072 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 2020[6] | 31,390,200 | ||||||||
• Density | 48.08/km2 (124.5/sq mi) | ||||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2021 estimate | ||||||||
• Total | $83 billion[7] | ||||||||
| HDI (2019) | 0.511 low | ||||||||
| Currency | Afghan afghani[d] (AFN) | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+4:30Solar Calendar (D†) | ||||||||
| Calling code | +93 | ||||||||
| Internet TLD | .af | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheIslamic Republic of Afghanistan[e] was apresidential republic inAfghanistan from 2004 to 2021. The state was established to replace the Afghaninterim (2001–2002) andtransitional (2002–2004) administrations, which were formed after the 2001United States invasion of Afghanistan that had toppled the partially recognizedTaliban-ruledIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan. However, on 15 August 2021, the country wasrecaptured by the Taliban, which marked the end of the2001–2021 war, thelongest war in US history.[8] This led to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, led byPresidentAshraf Ghani, and the reinstatement of the Islamic Emirate under the control of the Taliban, today the ruling government of Afghanistan. While theUnited Nations still recognizes the Islamic Republic as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, this toppled government controls no portion of the country, nor does it operate in exile; it effectively no longer exists. TheUS–Taliban deal, signed on 29 February 2020 inQatar, was one of the critical events that caused the collapse of theAfghan National Security Forces (ANSF).[9] Following the deal, the US dramatically reduced the number of air attacks and deprived the ANSF of a critical edge in fighting theTaliban insurgency, leading to the Taliban takeover of Kabul.[10]
Following theSeptember 11 attacks, the United States and several allies invaded Afghanistan, overthrowing the Taliban's first government (which had limited recognition) in support of the oppositionNorthern Alliance. Afterwards, a transitional government was formed under the leadership ofHamid Karzai. After the2003 loya jirga, aunitarypresidentialIslamic republic was proclaimed under anew constitution, and Karzai waselected for a full term aspresident. Meanwhile, theUS-led international coalition helped maintain internal security, gradually transferring the burden of defense to theAfghan Armed Forces after 2013–14.
However, Taliban forces held control of various areas of the country and the civil war continued. The Taliban regrouped as aninsurgency with the alleged support ofPakistan, and escalated attacks on Afghan and coalition forces after 2006–07. This perpetuated Afghanistan's problematichuman rights andwomen's rights records, with numerous abuses committed by both sides, such as the killing of civilians, kidnapping, and torture. Due to the government's extensive reliance onAmerican military and economic aid, some classed the nation as an Americanclient state, and it gradually lost control of the rural countryside after the conclusion ofOperation Enduring Freedom.
During thewithdrawal of NATO troops in 2021, the Taliban launcheda massive military offensive in May 2021, allowing them to take control of the country over the following three and a half months. TheAfghan National Army rapidly disintegrated. The institutions of the republic effectively collapsed on 15 August 2021, when the Taliban forces entered Kabul and Afghan presidentAshraf Ghani fled the country. Soon after, formerfirst vice presidentAmrullah Saleh declared himself the caretaker president of Afghanistan and announced therepublican resistance against the Taliban; however, on 6 September 2021, Saleh also fled to Tajikistan.
In December 2001, after the Taliban government was overthrown, theAfghan Interim Administration underHamid Karzai was formed. TheInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was established by theUN Security Council to help assist theKarzai administration and provide basic security.[11][12] By this time, after two decades of war as well as an acutefamine at the time, Afghanistan had one of the highestinfant and child mortality rates in the world, the lowest life expectancy, much of the population were hungry,[13][14][15] and infrastructure was in ruins.[16] Many foreign donors started providing aid and assistance to rebuild the war-torn country.[17][18]
Taliban forces meanwhile began regrouping inside Pakistan, while more coalition troops entered Afghanistan to help the rebuilding process.[19][20] TheTaliban began an insurgency to regain control of Afghanistan. Over the next decade, ISAF andAfghan troops led many offensives against the Taliban, but failed to fully defeat them. Afghanistan remained one of the poorest countries in the world because of reliance on subsistence agriculture, a lack of foreign investment,government corruption, and the Taliban insurgency.[21][22] Meanwhile, Karzai attempted to unite the peoples of the country,[23] and theAfghan government was able to build some democratic structures, adopting a constitution in 2004 with the name Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Attempts were made, often with the support of foreign donor countries, to improve the country's economy, healthcare, education, transport, and agriculture inReconstruction in Afghanistan. ISAF forces also began to train theAfghan National Security Forces. Following 2002, nearly five millionAfghans wererepatriated.[24] The number of NATO troops present in Afghanistan peaked at 140,000 in 2011,[25] dropping to about 16,000 in 2018.[26]
In September 2014,Ashraf Ghani became president after the2014 presidential election where for the first time in Afghanistan's history power was democratically transferred.[27][28][29][30][31] On 28 December 2014, NATO formally ended ISAF combat operations in Afghanistan and transferred full security responsibility to the Afghan government. The NATO-ledOperation Resolute Support was formed the same day as a successor to ISAF.[32][33] Thousands of NATO troops remained in the country to train and advise Afghan government forces[34] and continue their fight against the Taliban.[35] It was estimated in 2015 that "about 147,000 people have been killed in the Afghanistan war since 2001. More than 38,000 of those killed have been civilians."[36] A report titledBody Count concluded that 106,000–170,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the fighting in Afghanistan at the hands of all parties to the conflict.[37][38][39]
On 14 April 2021, NATO Secretary GeneralJens Stoltenberg said the alliance had agreed to startwithdrawing its troops from Afghanistan by 1 May.[40] Soon after the withdrawal of NATO troops started, theTaliban launched anoffensive against the Afghan government, quickly advancing in front of collapsing Afghan government forces.[41][42] In June 2021, aUS intelligence report predicted that the Afghan government would likely collapse within six months after NATO completed its withdrawal from the country.[43] The report proved overly optimistic: by the second week of August, most Afghan provincial capitals had fallen into the hands of the Taliban and theAfghan National Army was in complete disarray, losing ground on all fronts. The falls ofMazar-i-Sharif andJalalabad on 14 and 15 August respectively removed any possibility for the Afghan government to halt Taliban advance.[44]
On 15 August 2021, Taliban forces entered the capital city of Kabul, meeting only limited resistance.[45] In the afternoon, it was reported that Afghan PresidentAshraf Ghani had left the country, fleeing into eitherTajikistan orUzbekistan; Chairman of theHouse of the PeopleMir Rahman Rahmani was also reported to have fled intoPakistan.[46] Following Ghani's escape, the remaining loyalist forces abandoned their posts and theAfghan Armed Forcesde facto ceased to exist.[47]
On the evening of 15 August, the Taliban occupiedthe Arg, lowered the Afghan republican flag and raisedtheir own flag over the palace. On 19 August 2021 the Taliban proclaimed the restoration of theIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[48]
On 17 August 2021,Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader ofHezb-e-Islami, met with bothHamid Karzai, formerPresident of Afghanistan, andAbdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation and formerChief Executive, inDoha, seeking to form a government.[49][50] President Ghani, having settled in theUnited Arab Emirates, said that he supported such negotiations.[51][52] On 17 August, the former First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,Amrullah Saleh, tweeted that he had remained in the country and had assumed the role of Caretaker President in the absence ofGhani citing theAfghan Constitution as his basis.[53][53] Saleh later fled to Tajikistan.[54][55][56][57][58]
In July 2021, during the Taliban offensive, the remnants of the Northern Alliance began mobilizing under an umbrella calledResistance II.[59][60] The forces later became theNational Resistance Front led by Ahmad Shah Massoud's sonAhmad Massoud and was based in thePanjshir Valley, using the city ofBazarak as atemporary capital, as it was one of the few areas of Afghanistan that was still under control of the Islamic Republic.[61][62] On 6 September, after heavy fighting resulting in high losses on both sides, the Taliban claimed to have captured all of Panjshir, with the Taliban flag being hoisted at the governor's office in Bazarak.[63] The remaining NRF troops had reportedly retreated into the mountains,[64][65] while Saleh and Massoud fled toTajikistan.[66][67]
As of 2022, scattered fighting between opposition groups and the Taliban continue to occur. On 13 March 2022, theAfghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), an ethnically diverse anti-Taliban military group formed,[68] and has since conducted several attacks on the Taliban,[69] including a missile attack onBagram Airfield, in which six Taliban soldiers were killed and two were wounded.[70]
In June 2022, an uprising began in theBalkhab District of theSar-e Pol Province. Hazara rebelMehdi Mujahid, the Taliban-appointed head of intelligence of theBamyan Province had been expelled from the position after criticizing the closure of girls' schools and continued demanding for equality to Hazaras and other Shia Muslims.[71] He left the Taliban, declaring war on them, and began to gather rebels.[72] Supported by the NRF[73] and several political parties,[73][74] the rebels seized Balkhab and controlled the entire district by 13 June 2022.[75] On 23 June 2022, the Taliban began fighting to take back the district.[73] The uprising ended when the Taliban recaptured Balkhab and Mujahid was killed.[76]
On the one year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, the NRF conducted various hit-and-run attacks on Taliban militants.[77] Several other minor groups, such as theAhmad Khan Samangani Front[78] and theAfghanistan Islamic National and Liberation Movement have also conducted attacks against the Taliban.[79]
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was anIslamic republic with its government consisting of three branches, the executive, legislative, and judicial. The head of state and government was thePresident of Afghanistan. TheNational Assembly was the legislature, abicameral body having two chambers, theHouse of the People and theHouse of Elders. TheSupreme Court was led byChief Justice Said Yusuf Halem, the former Deputy Minister of Justice for Legal Affairs.[80]
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According toTransparency International, Afghanistan remained one of the most corrupt countries.[81] A January 2010 report published by theUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime revealed that bribery consumed an amount equal to 23% of the GDP of the nation.[82] Corruption was endemic even in the upper echelons of governance: in August 2010 it was revealed that the leadership of theNew Kabul Bank and a handful of political elites, including cabinet ministers, had embezzled close to $1 billion through fraudulent loan schemes.[83][84]
On 17 May 2020, PresidentAshraf Ghani reached a power-sharing deal with his rival from presidential elections,Abdullah Abdullah, about who would manage the respected key ministries. The agreement ended months-longpolitical deadlock in the country. It was agreed that while Ghani will lead Afghanistan as the president, Abdullah would oversee thepeace process with theTaliban.[85][86]
Reports emerged on 25 August that a 12-member council will be formed to govern Afghanistan. Reportedly 7 members were already agreed upon: Hekmatyar, Karzai, Abdullah,Abdul Ghani Baradar,Mohammad Yaqoob,Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani, andHanif Atmar.[87]
TheNational Directorate of Security (NDS) was the state intelligence and security service.[88] The NDS reported directly to theOffice of President.[89]
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Under the2004 constitution, both presidential and parliamentary elections were to be held every five years. However, due to the disputed2014 presidential election, the scheduled 2015 parliamentary elections were delayed until2018.[90] Presidential elections used thetwo-round system; if no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round would be held featuring the top two candidates. Parliamentary elections had only one round and were based on thesingle non-transferable vote system, which allows some candidates to be elected with as little as one percent of the vote.[91]
The2004 Afghan presidential election was relatively peaceful, in which Hamid Karzai won in the first round with 55.4% of the votes. However, the2009 presidential election was characterized by lack of security, low voter turnout, and widespread electoral fraud, ending in Karzai's reelection.[92] The2014 presidential election ended with Ashraf Ghani winning with 56.44% of the votes.[93]
Political parties played a marginal role in post-2001 Afghan politics, in part due to Karzai's opposition to them.[94] In the2005 parliamentary election, the ballots did not show candidates' party affiliation, so the results were dictated by the personal prestige of the candidates.[94] Among the elected officials were a large mix of formermujahideen,Islamic fundamentalists, warlords, tribal nationalists, former communists,reformists, urban professionals,royalists and several former Taliban associates.[95][96] In the same period, Afghanistan became the 30th highest nation in terms of female representation in the National Assembly.[97] Parties became more influential after 2009, when a new law established more stringent requirements for party registration.[98] Nearly a hundred new parties were registered after the law came into effect,[99] and party activity increased in the 2014 elections, but party influence remained limited.[100]
Before thefall of Kabul, theAfghan Armed Forces were under theMinistry of Defense, which included theAfghan Air Force (AAF) and theAfghan National Army (ANA). TheAfghan Defense University housed various educational establishments for the Afghan Armed Forces, including theNational Military Academy of Afghanistan.[101]
TheUnited States Department of Defense used theexonym "Afghan National Security Forces" (ANSF) to describe the Armed Forces and Police together. As of 30 June 2020, the ANSF or Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) were composed of theAfghan National Army, including its Air Force;Afghan National Police (including Afghan Local Police), and the National Directorate of Security (including the Afghan Special Force).[102]
In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Defense wrote that the ANA General Staff commanded and controlled all of Afghanistan’s ground and air forces, including "the ANA conventional forces, theAfghan Air Force (AAF), the Special Mission Wing (SMW), theANA Special Operations Command (ANASOC), theAfghan National Civil Order Force (ANCOF), and theAfghan Border Force (ABF). In total, the ANA consisted of 27 combat brigades, three combat air wings, four branch and basic training schools, seven ANCOF brigades, seven ABF brigades, and additional support facilities such as depots and hospitals."[103]
NATOspecial operations forces trained, advised and assisted the ANASOC, SMW and Generla Command of Police Special Units (GCPSU) who were collectively known as the Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF).[104][105][106] The ASSF was described as the "ANDSF’s primary offensive forces".[106]
Law enforcement was the responsibility of theAfghan National Police (ANP), which was part of theMinistry of Interior Affairs. The ANP consisted of two primary branches, the Afghan Uniformed Police and theAfghan Border Police. The mission of the Uniformed Police was to ensure security within Afghanistan, prevent crime, and protect property. The Border Police was responsible for securing and maintaining the nation's borders with neighboring states as well as all international airports within the country.[107] Afghanistan'sintelligence agency, theNational Directorate of Security (NDS), assisted the ANP with security matters.[108] Despite that, all parts of Afghanistan were considered dangerous due to militant activities and terrorism-related incidents. Kidnapping for ransom and robberies were common in major cities. Every year hundreds ofAfghan police were killed in the line of duty.[109] Afghanistan was also the world's leadingproducer of opium.[110] Afghanistan'sopium poppy harvest produces more than 90% of illicit heroin globally, and more than 95% of the European supply.[111][112] TheAfghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics was responsible for the monitoring and eradication of the illegal drug business.
Ministry of Interior Affairs components included:[113]
Afghanistan became a member of the United Nations in 1946.[122] Under the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, it enjoyed cordial relations with a number ofNATO and allied nations, particularly theUnited States,Canada,United Kingdom,Germany, Australia, andTurkey. In 2012, the United States and Afghanistan signed theirStrategic Partnership Agreement in which Afghanistan became amajor non-NATO ally.[123] Relations withPakistan were often tense for various reasons such as theDurand Line border issue and alleged Pakistani involvement in Afghan insurgent groups. Afghanistan also had diplomatic relations with neighboringChina,Iran,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan, andUzbekistan, as well as with regional states such asBangladesh,Japan,Kazakhstan,Nepal,Russia,South Korea, and theUAE.
TheUnited Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was established in 2002 to help the country recover from decades of war.[124] Until summer 2021, several NATO member states deployed about 17,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of theResolute Support Mission.[125] Its main purpose was totrain the Afghan National Security Forces.
On 1 December 2021, the nine-nationCredentials Committee of the General Assembly voted to defer a decision to allow theTaliban to represent Afghanistan at the UN.[126] However, on 15 February 2022, the UN released an updated list of member state officials with the names ofGhani administration officials removed.[127]
Freedom of expression and the press were permitted and promoted in the 2004 constitution, so long as it did not threaten national or religious integrity or did notdefame individuals. In 2019,Reporters Without Borders listed the media environment of Afghanistan as 121st out of 179 on itsPress Freedom Index, with 1st being most free.[128][129] However many issues regarding human rights existed contrary to the law, often committed by local tribes, lawmakers and hardline clerics. Journalists in Afghanistan faced threat from both the security forces and insurgents.[130] The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) claimed in 2017 that the Afghan government accounted for 46% of the attacks on Afghan journalists, while insurgents were responsible for rest of the attacks.[131]
According toGlobal Rights, almost 90% of women in Afghanistan had experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse or forced marriage. In the majority of cases, the perpetrators of these crimes were the families of the victim, and a 2009 proposal for a law against the violence of women could eventually only be passed through a presidential decree.[132] In 2012, Afghanistan recorded 240 cases ofhonor killings, but the total number were believed to be much higher. Of the reported honor killings, 21% were committed by the victims' husbands, 7% by their brothers, 4% by their fathers, and the rest by other relatives.[133][134]
Homosexuality wastaboo in Afghan society;[135] according to the Penal Code, homosexual intimacy was punished by up to a year in prison.[136] With the implementation ofSharia law, offenders could bepunished by death;[137][138] however, an ancient tradition involving male homosexual acts between youngsters and older men (typically wealthy or elite people) calledbacha bazi persisted. Despite being illegal, the people engaging in the act were often not punished.
Ethnic and religious minorities such asHazaras,[139][140]Sikhs,[141]Hindus,[142] andChristians[143] reportedly faced persecution in the country.[144]
On 14 August 2020,UN Human Rights Council experts issued a joint statement urging Afghanistan officials to prevent the killings ofhuman rights defenders as there had been nine deaths of human rights defenders since January 2020.[145]
In spite of the turbulent political situation and military conflict which defined the years of the republic an expansion in access to certain utilities and services also took place during this era.
Between 2001 and 2021, Afghanistan experienced improvements in health, education and women's rights.[146][147] Life expectancy increased from 56 to 64 years and the maternal mortality rate was reduced by half. 89% of residents living in cities have access to clean water, up from 16% in 2001. The rate of child marriage has been reduced by 17%.[146][148] The population of Afghanistan increased by more than 50% between 2001 and 2014, while its GDP grew eightfold.[149]
As of 2013, 8.2 million Afghans attended school, up from 1.2 million in 2001.[150] 3.2 million girls attended school in 2013, up from fewer than 50,000 in 2001.[151] 39% of girls were attending school in 2017 compared to 6% in 2003. In 2021, a third of students at university were women and 27% of members of parliament were women.[152] The literacy rate in 2021 has risen from 8% to 43% since 2001.[146] In 2018,UNICEF reported that 3.7 million children between the ages of 7 and 17, or 44 percent, were not attending school.[153]
In 2020, there were over 16,000 schools in the country and roughly 9.5 million students. Of this, about 60% were males and 40% females. This was an increase from 900,000 exclusively male students in 2001. Over 174,000 students were enrolled in differentuniversities around the country. About 21% of these were females.[154] However, former Education MinisterGhulam Farooq Wardak had stated in 2013 that the construction of 8,000 schools was still required for the remaining children who were deprived offormal learning.[155]
As of 2018 the literacy rate of the population age 15 and older was 43.02% (males 55.48% and females 29.81%).[156] The Afghan National Security Forces received mandatory literacy courses as part of their training.[157]
According to theWorld Bank, 98% of the rural population had access to electricity by 2018, up from 28% in 2008.[158] Overall the figure stood at 98.7%.[159] As of 2016, Afghanistan produced 1,400megawatts of power, but still imported the majority of the electricity it consumed via transmission lines from Iran and the Central Asian states.[160]
In 2001 following years of civil war, telecommunications was virtually a non-existent sector, but by 2016 it had grown to a $2 billion industry, with 22 million mobile phone subscribers and 5 million internet users. The sector employed at least 120,000 people nationwide.[161]
Press restrictions were gradually relaxed and private media diversified after 2002, following more than two decades of tight controls. The Afghan media experienced rapid growth during theKarzai administration, with dozens of TV stations being established around the country. Afghanistan had 203 television stations, 284 radio stations and nearly 1,500 print media outlets in 2019.
The Afghan music scene re-emerged after the removal of theTaliban, with singing competition series such asAfghan Star andThe Voice of Afghanistan becoming popular, with contestants performing songs, including those formerly banned.
As with their Cold War counterparts, it was erroneous for American policymakers to believe that the governments of contemporary client states, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, necessarily shared their desire to defeat radical Islamic insurgents by adhering to the prescriptions of U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine.
Afghanistan's poppy production… accounts for more than 91 percent of the world's heroin.David Greene (host, Morning Edition), Hayatullah Hayat (Governor of Helmand Province, Afghanistan), Tom Bowman (reporter), Dianne Feinstein (U.S. Senator, Chair of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control).
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Wikimedia Atlas of Afghanistan| Preceded by | Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 2004–2021 | Succeeded by |
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