Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan

By 19suend20

  • Baba is Born

    'Baba was born," in 1933 (24, Hosseini)

  • Day Amir Was Born

    Amir's "mother died giving birth to me [Amir]," (6, Hosseini)

  • Hassan Is Born

    "Hassan was born in the winter of 1964," in a little shack (6, Hosseini)

  • K.R. Daoud Khan Ends Zahir Shah's Forty-Year Reign

    Even though gunshots were heard throughout the night, "they hadn't shot much of anything that night... Daoud Khan had ended the king's forty-year reign with a bloodless coup," (36, Hosseini)

  • Amir and Hassan Win the Kite Tournament

    Amir and Hassan cut free the last kite in the tournament. When they do this, Amir screams loudly, "We won! We won!" (66, Hosseini)

  • First Soviet Troops Arrive

    The first Soviet troops parachute into Kabul to assist Babrak Kramal, "who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership," (2, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview)

  • K.R. Baba and Amir Leave Kabul

    Baba and Amir leave the house with barely anything. "The signs of our [Amir and Baba's] elopement were subtle," because "you couldn't trust anyone in Kabul anymore," (112, Hosseini).

  • Amir and Soraya's Wedding

    Amir and Soraya's wedding was a splendid celebration, largely because "Baba spent $35,000, nearly the balance of his life savings, on the awroussi, the wedding ceremony," (169, Hosseini)

  • Baba Dies

    A month after Amir and Soraya's wedding, Baba refused his morphine, saying "'There is no pain tonight.'... Baba never woke up," (173, Hosseini)

  • Amir Finishes His First Novel

    Amir "finished my [Amir's] first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul," (182, Hosseini)

  • Last Soviet Troops Leave

    The last Soviet troops leave because of "peace talks moderated by the United Nations," (2, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview). They leave behind a country devestated by war and a beacon to Islamic extremists.

  • Soraya and Amir Start Trying to Get a Child

    After being together for a bit, "Soraya and I [Amir] began trying to have a child," (184, Hosseini).

  • Sanaubar and Hassan are Re-United

    After leaving the house right after Hassan realized Sanaubar was in front of him, he returns and tells her that "she could cry if she wanted to but she needn't, she was home now," (210, Hosseini)

  • Pakistan Begins to Funnel Arms

    There was a chance the Taliban still wouldn't have survived without the help of Pakistan. "As early as 1994, Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle," (3, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview).

  • Start of the Taliban

    By the end of 1994, Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and "was rolling up the warlords to the north and east. With his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality," (2, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview)

  • Osama bin Laden Arrives

    Mr. bin Laden "arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad airport in May 1996," (3, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview).

  • Amir Agrees to Save Sohrab

    After leaving Rahim Khan's in a rage, Amir returned and "told him I [Amir] was going to Kabul," (227, Hosseini)

  • President Bush Gives Ultimatum

    After 9/11, President Bush "gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden," (3, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview). When this didn't occur, American armies united with rebel groups and started to invade Afghanistan.

  • Hamid Karzai Beomes the Leader of Afghanistan

    After the Taliban were defeated, Hamdi Karzai became the "chairman of an interim government... making him the leader of the country," (4, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview).

  • Taliban Are Driven Out of Major Cities

    "An air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year," (3, NYT Afghanistan- an Overview)

  • Sohrab Smiles Again

    After being quiet and withdrawn for a year, "one corner of his [Sohrab's] mouth had currled up just so," (370, Hosseini)

  • Hamid Karzai is Elected President

    "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004," (4, NYT, Afghanistan- an Overview)

  • Obama Announces Plan to Deploy More Troops

    "Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 extra troops," with the intention of removing American forces by the middle of 2011.