In the 1960s, Afghanistan was divided between a westernised elite and a traditional, largely poor majority. A communist revolution shook up this order. Show more

In the 1980s, Afghanistan turned into the epicentre of a struggle between Islam and Communism and, at the same time, a battlefield of the Cold War. Show more

While the Soviet Union disintegrated and the United States turned its attention to Iraq, the fighting in Afghanistan continued among different ethnic groups and Mujahidin factions. Show more

In Afghanistan, 9/11 began two days earlier when commander Massoud was assassinated; this was the first step of the attacks that Al Qaeda carried out in New York and Washington. Show more