Mujahideen

State · 1987–2026 CE · at its largest around 1992 CE

Afghan Islamist resistance groups that fought the Soviet-backed Communist government with support from the US, Pakistan and others. After taking Kabul in 1992 they fell into civil war, and some factions later opposed the Taliban.

On its lands while it lasted

Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953 CE – 2001 CE): Afghan commander from the Panjshir Valley who fought the Soviets and later the Taliban; he was assassinated two days before 11 September 2001.
Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989 CE): Soviet intervention in Afghanistan against mujahideen insurgents backed by the United States, Pakistan and others; Soviet troops withdrew in 1989.
Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) (1992–1996 CE): Conflict among mujahideen factions after the fall of the communist government, which devastated Kabul and ended with the Taliban capture of the city.
Malala Yousafzai (born 1997 CE): Pakistani education activist from Swat who survived a Taliban shooting in 2012 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (2001–2021 CE): US-led invasion after the September 11 attacks that toppled the Taliban, followed by a long insurgency until the US withdrawal in 2021.
Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed (2001 CE): The Taliban dynamited the two monumental Buddha statues of Bamiyan in March 2001, drawing worldwide condemnation.
2005 Kashmir earthquake (2005 CE): Magnitude 7.6 earthquake centred near Muzaffarabad that killed more than 80,000 people, mostly in Pakistan.
Killing of Osama bin Laden (2011 CE): United States special forces killed the al-Qaeda leader at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Fall of Kabul (2021 CE): The Taliban captured Kabul on 15 August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew, returning to power in Afghanistan.