Afghanistan+and+the+Taliban

After WWII, the king of Afghanistan, in search of economic help, developed close ties with the Soviet Union. In 1973, the king was overthrown by his own cousin, who was then removed by a Soviet coup in 1978. The new leaders tried to create a Communist government but were opposed by those who wanted a pure Islamic state. The Soviets then launched a full scale invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, putting a new leader in as Prime Minister.

The Soviets occupied Afghanistan for 10 years but were forced to withdraw by anti-Communist forces supported by the US and Pakistan. Various Islamic rebel groups began to fight for control over the pro-Soviet government at the capital of Kabul. By the fall of 1998, the Taliban controlled more than 2/3 of the country.

Condemned for its human rights abuses and imposition of harsh social policies, the Taliban was also suspected of sheltering **bin Laden** and his **al-Qaeda** organization. In 1999 and 2000, the UN Security Council called for the Taliban to turn bin Laden in for trial, but it refused. In 2001, the **Taliban** was driven out of Kabul by rebel forces and American bombers.