Afghanistan

[ af-gan-uh-stan ]

noun

1. a republic in central Asia, NW of India and E of Iran. 250,000 sq. mi. (647,500 sq. km). : Kabul.

Afghanistan

/ -ˌstæn; æfˈɡænɪˌstɑːn /

noun

1. a republic in central Asia: became independent in 1919; occupied by Soviet troops, 1979–89; controlled by mujaheddin forces from 1992 until 1996 when Taliban forces seized power; in the US-led `war on terror' (2001) the Taliban were overthrown and replaced by an interim administration, although the Taliban insurgency continues; generally arid and mountainous, with the Hindu Kush range rising over 7500 m (25 000 ft) and fertile valleys of the Amu Darya, Helmand, and Kabul Rivers. Official languages: Pashto and Dari (Persian), Tajik also widely spoken. Religion: Muslim. Currency: afghani. Capital: Kabul. Pop: 31 108 077 (2013 est). Area: 657 500 sq km (250 000 sq miles)

Afghanistan

1. Republic in south-central Asia , bordered by Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , and Tajikistan to the north, China to the northeast, Pakistan to the east and south, and Iran to the west. Kabul is its capital and largest city.

Notes

In 1992, various rebel groups entered Kabul and took over the government; however, they soon fell to warring. Between 1994 and 1995, Islamic students, called the Taliban , seized Kabul and imposed both order and strict and repressive Islamic law. By 1998, the Taliban controlled ninety percent of the country. The most serious resistance to the Taliban came from the Northern Alliance, a body dominated by ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks. In October 2001, the United States launched attacks on the Taliban in response to the Taliban's refusal to expel Osama bin Laden and his terrorist Al Qaeda network.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 but met stiff resistance from Muslim rebels, called mujahideen, who received support from the United States. The Soviets agreed to withdraw in 1986 and completed their withdrawal in 1989.

Afghanistan is a poor nation with a history of warfare among its rival ethnic groups and of fierce resistance to outsiders.

Example Sentences

In Afghanistan, there was a push to take back the southern province Helmand.

From The Daily Beast

Al Qaeda has never managed to carve out a large chunk of real estate to call its own—in Afghanistan it was a guest of the Taliban.

From The Daily Beast

Before it was split between Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Baluchistan spread over an area slightly larger than California.

From The Daily Beast

Think Afghanistan and pieces of all the countries that surround it, including and especially Iran.

From The Daily Beast

But why did the generals feel the need to rely on these groups, even after the Soviets left Afghanistan?

From The Daily Beast

The tidings of a disaster in Afghanistan provoked an outburst of alarm and indignation in England.

From Project Gutenberg

He made himself lord of nearly all the present territory of Afghanistan and of the Punjab.

From Project Gutenberg

One thinks of mothers like Mrs. Ruck, whose best-loved sons are in Afghanistan.

From Project Gutenberg

He remained another year in Afghanistan making various expeditions in the country and into the Hindoo Koosh.

From Project Gutenberg

And with that, in this rapid run through, we may for convenience group Arabia and Persia and Afghanistan.

From Project Gutenberg