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World Geography
Consequences of Terrorism Part II:
The War in Afghanistan
A Brief History of Afghanistan (1978-1992)
In 1978 a group of socialist rebels took control of Afghanistan in a coup d’etat. They
assassinated the Muslim president of Afghanistan (Mohammad Daoud) and renamed the country the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The new government began replacing the old Islamic laws with
secular (non-religious) laws. They also tried to establish a communist economy. Men were required
to cut their traditional beards, women weren’t allowed to wear burqas (clothing which covers a
woman from head to toe), and Mosques (places of worship for Muslims) were shut down. This
angered many of the people in Afghanistan (especially those living outside of the cities). They found
the new laws oppressive. Additionally, women were granted the right to vote and required to attend
school (rights that had been denied them under Afghan-Islamic law). The Soviet Union, a powerful
communist nation located north of Afghanistan, provided financial and military support to the new
government. Islamic rebels from the countryside traveled to Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan,
and launched an attack against the new government in late 1978.
On December 24th, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to protect the socialist
government and fight against the Islamic rebels. The Soviets sent 80,000 troops to the country but
they soon discovered that traditional means of warfare did not work well in Afghanistan. The physical
geography of Afghanistan made it difficult for the Soviets to fight. The country is about the size of
Texas and it’s covered in rugged mountains. The climate is unpredictable and harsh. Culturally, the
nation is more like a collection of tribes than a single country. Throughout history, Afghanistan has
been invaded many times (i.e Persians in the 5th century, Mongols in the 16th century, the British in
the 19th century), but no country has been able to successfully conquer Afghanistan. The United
States aided the Islamic rebels (known as the mujahedeen). The U.S. provided them with stinger
missiles which enabled them to destroy the Soviet helicopters and jets that were bombing Afghan
villages. The Soviets gave up in 1989 and withdrew their troops.
Anarchy Leads to Tyranny (1989-1996)
Young boys studying at a madrassa
After the withdrawal of Soviet troops, Afghanistan fell into a
state of anarchy. Tribes went to war with one another all across the
Afghan countryside (each trying to gain control of the country). The
city of Kabul was reduced to rubble. Tens of thousands of people were
killed. From this chaos emerged the Taliban, a group of young men
who had been educated in fundamentalist schools of Islam called
madrassas (the word talib in Arabic translates to student). After
fighting alongside the mujahedeen against the Soviets, they were
determined to restore order to their country. Additionally, the
Taliban wanted to install strict Islamic law throughout Afghanistan. In
1996 the Taliban gained control of the country.
Women wearing burqas
At first, the Taliban were welcome by most Afghans, who had
grown tired of the fighting and unrest. But as they became more
powerful, they also became more repressive. They held public
executions for minor offenses. Women and girls had no rights. They
were not allowed to attend school and they were required to where
burqas that covered even their faces. Women could be stoned to
death for disrespecting their husbands or families. Women were shot
for wearing nail polish.
The Road to the War with the U.S.
The Taliban attracted other Islamic fundamentalists who shared their beliefs. In 1996, Osama
bin Laden moved his terrorist organization, known as al-Qaeda to Afghanistan. While in Afghanistan
bin Laden planned the terrorist attacks against the United States that were carried out on September
11th, 2001. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks almost immediately. On September 20th,
2001, U.S. President George W. Bush issued an ultimatum to the Taliban. He ordered them to turn
over all members of al-Qaeda living in Afghanistan, shut down all terrorist training camps, and give
the U.S. full access to search the country for anyone involved in the terrorist attacks (including bin
Laden). The Taliban refused to meet President Bush’s demands. They claimed that bin Laden was a
guest in their country and that they could not turn him over to the U.S. On October 7, 2001, the
United States began bombing strategic sites in Afghanistan. The U.S. war with Afghanistan had
officially begun.
On November 12th, 2001 the U.S. took control of Kabul as the Taliban
fled from the capital city. The Taliban lost control of the government. In the
meantime, Osama bin Laden fled into the mountainous region located between
Afghanistan and its eastern neighbor, Pakistan. U.S. commanders believe that he
is still hiding somewhere in this region. With the help of the United States,
Afghanistan was able to hold democratic elections. Hamid Karzai was recently
re-elected in a controversial election. Many have criticized him for his inability
to rebuild Afghanistan and to prevent the Taliban from continuing to carry out
acts of violence throughout the country. This has given the Taliban an
Afghan President Karzai
opportunity to regroup and gain support amongst the Afghan people.
It has been nearly 9 years since the fighting in Afghanistan began and many believe that the
U.S. is repeating many of the mistakes made by the Soviets. Conventional means of warfare (tanks,
airplanes) are ineffective against the Afghan rebels who are able to hide in the deep caves located
throughout the country’s rugged mountainside. Currently more American lives are being lost in
Afghanistan than in the war in Iraq. In December of 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama announced
that he would be sending an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to help stop the Taliban (bringing the
number of U.S. troops in t he country to nearly 100,000). “I do not make this decision lightly,” the
President said. “I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake.” Many feel
that if the U.S. withdraws its troops before the country has been secured, the Taliban will regain power
and turn the nation into a large, terrorist training facility for Islamic fundamentalists. However,
Obama has also said that he plans on withdrawing all U.S. troops by 2014, causing many to question
how committed he is to the war in Afghanistan. At that time, the Afghan
government would be fully in charge of maintaining peace in their country.
Name:
Date:
Core:
World Geography
War in Afghanistan:
Reflection Questions
Directions: Use the reading from today’s class (Consequences of terrorism Part II: War in
Afghanistan) to answer the following questions.
Fact Check…
1. After the 1978 coup d’etat, a new government took control of Afghanistan. Identify three
changes that this new government made:
a. _______________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________________________
2. Which of the following would best be described as a secular holiday?
a. Christmas
b. Passover
c. Easter
d. Veteran’s Day
I chose answer choice _________ because: ___________________________________________
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3. What is a burqa? ________________________________________________________________
4. Briefly describe why the Soviet Union, one of the most powerful countries in the world, was
unsuccessful in their attempt to take over Afghanistan.
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5. Who were the mujahedeen? ______________________________________________________
6. What are madrassas? _____________________________________________________________
7. Identify two ways that life in Afghanistan changed when the Taliban took control in 1996.
a. ________________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________________
8. Why did the United State attack Afghanistan in October of 2001? ______________________
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9. Who is the current president of Afghanistan? _______________________________________
Reader Response. Answer the following question in complete sentences.
Use the text to
support your position (A
ATITIC). You must reference the text twice in order to get full credit.
10. The goal of the United States is to create a stable, democratic government in Afghanistan
and eliminate the presence of the Taliban. Do you think the United States’ military remain in
Afghanistan until this goal has been achieved or do you think the U.S. should remove all of
its troops from Afghanistan by 2014?
Before you answer consider the following….
 Given the number of failed attempts to take over Afghanistan (Persians, Mongols, British,

Soviets), do you think that the goal of the United States is achievable?
What might happen if the United States withdraws it troops before the goal has been achieved?
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World Geography
Consequences of Terrorism Part II
Mental Warm-Up
1. Imagine that you wanted to accomplish a goal. You know that many other people have tried
to accomplish the same goal, but have failed. Would you still try to accomplish the goal?
Explain. (Would it change you opinion if you knew that lives might be lost if you did not
accomplish that goal?)
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Consequences of Terrorism Part II
Mental Warm-Up
1. Imagine that you wanted to accomplish a goal. You know that many other people have tried
to accomplish the same goal, but have failed. Would you still try to accomplish the goal?
Explain. (Would it change you opinion if you knew that lives might be lost if you did not
accomplish that goal?)
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