Afghanistan - The background
Read our background to the conflict in Afghanistan
The country
Afghanistan - Is placed between the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Mountains cover four fifths of the land and the country has been riven by different tribal groups. Ethnic, religious and regional rivalries have made it hard for the authorities in the capital, Kabul to rule the country.
When did it all begin?
The war in Afghanistan goes back to September 11 2001 when hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in the US. America blamed Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network and ordered the Taliban in Afghanistan to hand him over.
Who are the Taliban?
The Taliban had been in control of most of Afghanistan since 1996 and allowed al Qaeda to set up training camps in the country. In October 2001, the US began bombing Afghanistan to root out bin Laden. The war involved British and American troops as well as soldiers from the Northern Alliance who took control of Kabul. In December, the Taliban stronghold city of Kandahar also fell but the group's leader and Bin Laden escaped.
Then what?
The leader of one of the biggest tribes in southern Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, was sworn in as head of a temporary government. In 2004, Afghanistan held its presidential election and Karzai won. Ever since, thousands of soldiers have stayed in Afghanistan trying to find bin Laden and other Taliban supporters. Last year, Prince Harry was pulled out of Afghanistan after serving 10 weeks in action in Helmand province. A media blackout had collapsed.
So what's happening now?
In March 2009, President Obama set out a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan with the aim of destroying the Taliban and al Qaida there and in neighbouring Pakistan. There would be thousands more US troops to help train the Afghan army and police force. A ‘surge' in US civilians to the country was also announced to help rebuild its infrastructure. There are worries of a Taliban push in August when the country's elections are held.
The future
Islamic militants, warlords and the booming drugs trade are among the greatest threats to stability. The authorities have limited power outside Kabul, and huge swathes of the country are racked by insurgent violence or controlled by warlords once funded by the US to fight the Taliban. The state of lawlessness is fuelled by the opium trade. Despite a ban on poppy crops, Afghanistan still produces about 90% of the world's opium.
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