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Period: to
soviet invasion
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birth of democratic republic
Daud Khan and most of his family were killed, and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was born. One night, gunfire erupts in the street. Ali, Hassan, and Amir hide in the house until morning. Amir says that night was the beginning of the end of the Afghanistan they knew. It slipped away further in 1978 with the communist takeover, and it disappeared completely in 1979 when Russia invaded. The gunshots were part of a coup in which Daoud Khan, the king’s cousin, took over the government -
insurgency begans
Afghanistan's communist People's Democratic Party seizes power in a coup but is split along ethnic lines and in-fighting begins. The country is renamed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). An Islamic and conservative insurgency soon begins in the provinces. Amir explains to us something that happened to him in 1975. He doesnt explain what happened to him but he says that it made him who he is today. -
start of invasion
The Soviet defence ministry reveals orders to senior staff to send troops into Afghanistan. Commandos seize strategic installations in Kabul. Armoured columns cross the border at Termez and Kushka heading towards Kabul and Herat respectively. Baba doesnt drive hpome until morning because the roads are blocked off by the troops and he doesnt want to get into any trouble. you can tell the story and setting is about to change and not for the better. -
resistance
Resistance intensifies with various mujahideen groups fighting Soviet forces and their DRA allies. In the first six months of the campaign, the Soviets commit more than 80,000 personnel to occupy Afghanistan. It is March 1981. Amir and Baba are in the back of a truck with several other Afghans on the way to Pakistan. When stopped by officers they threaten to shoot baba because baba is protecting the girl. -
refugees
The number of Afghan refugees living abroad fluctuated over the years with the fighting and reached a peak of some six million people in the late 1980s. Baba and Amir hide in a basement with other refugees for a week and Amir notices Kamal. Kamal just sits there with a stare on his face and doesnt talk anymore because he was beaten by the soviets. -
attacking
Soviet troops tried to crush the insurgency by various tactics, but the guerrillas generally eluded their attacks. The Soviets then attempted to eliminate the mujahideen’s civilian support by bombing and depopulating the rural areas. Kabul became dangerous as the fighting between Afghan factions vying for control of the city grew worse. Rockets fell randomly, destroying homes and killing civilians. Rahim Khan says he cheered at first when the Taliban took over and ended the fighting. -
afghans displaced
More than five million Afghans are now estimated to be displaced by the war, with many fleeing to neighbouring Iran or Pakistan. In order to bring a quick victory, the resulting escalation of troops to pacify the region leads to the bloodiest year of the war. The Taliban had gone to Baba’s house and found Hassan and his family there. Hassan said he was taking care of the house for a friend, and they called him a liar like all Hazaras. They made him kneel in the street and shot him in the head -
soviet military
After years of bedevilment by the Soviet military’s use of helicopter gunships and jet bombers, the mujahideen’s prospects improved greatly toward the end of 1986 when they began to receive more and better weapons from the outside world—particularly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and China—via Pakistan. When the soviets recieved more powerful weapons they proceeded to take over. They emptied homes and looked for any excuse to kill inoccent people. -
signing agreement
(The Soviets suffered some 15,000 dead and many more injured.) Despite having failed to implement a sympathetic regime in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union signed an accord with the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and agreed to withdraw its troops. The book doesnt mention the signing agreement but towards the end of the people Amir finds a girl and they try to find happiness and start a family. -
end of war
The USSR announces the departure of the last Soviet troops. More than one million Afghans and 13 thousand Soviet troops have been killed . Civil war continues as the mujahideen push to overthrow Najibullah, who is eventually toppled in 1992. Many people died, including Amirs father and one of his best friends. Amir felt responsible for his friends death and always dreamed about it.