Afghanistan 1979
Background Notes Archive - Near East and North Africa
U.S. Department of State______________________________________________________ The State Department does not guarantee the authenticity of documents on the Internet. If for legal or other reasons you require the original version of a document in hard copy, please contact the Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Affairs. Note that State Department information is not copyrighted unless indicated and can be reproduced without consent. Citation of source is appreciated. Permission to reproduce any copyrighted material (including photos or graphics) must be obtained from the original source.______________________________________________________BACKGROUND NOTES: AFGHANISTANPUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRSU.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEJULY 1994Official Name: Islamic State of AfghanistanPROFILEGeographyArea: 648,000 sq. km. (252,000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Texas. Cities (1993 est.): Capital--Kabul (est. 800,000). Other cit ... [Read More]
Khalilzad, Zalmay
Between 1993 and 1999, Dr. Khalilzad was Director of the Strategy, Doctrine and Force Structure program for RAND's Project Air Force. While with RAND, he founded the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Between 1991 and 1992, Dr. Khalilzad served as Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning. Secretary Cheney awarded Dr. Khalilzad's the Department of Defense medal for outstanding public service. He also served as a senior political scientist at RAND and an associate professor at the University of California at San Diego in 1989 and 1991. From 1985 to 1989 at the Department of State, Dr. Khalilzad served as Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs working policy issues, advising on the Iran-Iraq war and the Soviet War in Afghanistan. From 1979 to 1986, Dr. Khalilzad was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. ... [Read More]
Political and Security Situation of Women In Afghanistan
Afghanistan today is a country devastated by years of war, poverty, and oppressive rule. Before the Taliban came to power, it was a traditional country where women often took a subordinate role. Even so, prior to the Soviet invasion in 1979, women made up:74% of all teachers; 40% of all doctors; and 30% of all government workers. ... [Read More]
Southwest Asia
Afghanistan remains a significant location for the cultivation, refining, and transit of all forms of unrefined (opium), refined (heroin) and semi-refined (morphine base) opiates. Drugs have been a major factor in the Afghan economy since the Soviet invasion of 1979. Criminal financiers and narcotics traffickers in and outside of Afghanistan take advantage of the ongoing instability. The process of reconstruction that began in 2002 continues to accelerate and is laying the basis for successful counternarcotics programs in the future. Some Afghan opiates reach the United States, but Colombia and Mexico remain the U.S.’ largest source for heroin. ... [Read More]
Response to the Refugee Crisis in Afghanistan
Afghan refugees and conflict victims have been receiving assistance from the United States since millions fled Afghanistan in 1979. In response to the recent crisis, the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) has mobilized resources to support refugees through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) other UN agencies and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC), to assist victims of conflict inside Afghanistan through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and to help migrants in Afghanistan through the International Organization for Migration (IOM).Total PRM assistance pr ... [Read More]
Deputy Secretary Armitage Heralds Reestablishment of Fulbright Program in Afghanistan
Prior to its suspension in 1979 after the Soviet invasion, the Afghanistan–United States Fulbright Program had a rich history of promoting mutual respect and understanding through educational and cultural exchange. Beginning in 1952, Americans contributed to Afghanistan’s educational and legal systems through educational activities conducted in the United States. Beginning with its bilateral establishment in 1963, the United States Educational Commission in Afghanistan sponsored until 1979 over 250 Afghan students and scholars, and over 75 American students and scholars in fields such as architecture, law and economics. ... [Read More]
Afghanistan (04/05)
By October 1979, however, relations between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union were tense as Hafizullah Amin refused to take Soviet advice on how to stabilize and consolidate his government. Faced with a deteriorating security situation, on December 24, 1979, large numbers of Soviet airborne forces, joining thousands of Soviet troops already on the ground, began to land in Kabul under the pretext of a field exercise. On December 26, these invasion forces killed Hafizullah Amin and installed Babrak Karmal, exiled leader of the Parcham faction, bringing him back from Czechoslovakia and making him Prime Minister. Massive Soviet ground forces invaded from the north on December 27. ... [Read More]
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