I found this timeline extremely interesting, especially given the fact that their once exiled king just landed back in the country for the first time in 27 years…it brings more of a human aspect to the region for me.

1921 — A third Anglo-Afghan war breaks out after anti-British forces assassinate the king. But by 1929, the war-weary British relinquish control over Afghanistan?s foreign affairs. The new king, Amanullah, establishes diplomatic relations with several major nations and introduces reforms aimed at modernizing the country. But the moves alienate many tribal and religious leaders and generate political turmoil.

1949 — Afghanistan?s parliament refuses to recognizes new boundaries drawn by Great Britain establishing an independent Pakistan. In the coming years, Afghanistan will develop close ties with the Soviet Union after the United States refuses to grant military aid.

1973 — Daoud Khan and the Afghan Communist Party overthrow the ruling Afghan government and long-time king Mohammad Zahir Shah. Daoud, the former king?s cousin, abolishes the monarchy, presents a new constitution, ousts suspected opponents from the government and institutes economic and social reforms.

1978 — Daoud is killed and his government falls in a bloody Communist-backed coup. Mass killings, arrests and tortures ensue, and the Afghan guerrilla (Mujahidin) movement is born.

1979 — Anticommunist forces take control, prompting a Soviet invasion. The Soviets lose about 15,000 troops in constant fighting, and withdraw by the late 1980s.

1984 — The Mujahidin, known by supporters as “freedom fighters,” begins receiving military and logistical assistance from the United States and other countries.

1988 — The Soviet Union and United States sign the Geneva Accords, calling for Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return of refugees without fear of persecution. But the Mujahidin do not take part in the negotiations, and do not accept it.

1992 — The Mujahidin takeover Kabul and declare Afghanistan liberated. They form an Islamic state, headed by the Islamic Jihad Council and Prof. Burhannudin Rabbani.

1994 — The staunchly conservative Taliban militia is born and begins to rise up against Rabbani?s government and its supporters. Over the next several years, the group will become the nation’s dominant political force, although by 2001 only three other countries recognized its legitimacy.

Sources: Afghan-Web, Afghansite, U.S. State Department, IDSA and others

Herb Caen was called many things during the nearly six decades his column was required reading in San Francisco. He called himself “The Sackamenna Kid,” after his Central Valley home town, and also “Mr. First-Nighter,” for he felt an almost workaholic need to experience every aspect of the city life he chronicled. To his many devoted readers he was, and remains, “Mr. San Francisco.”