Recent political events in Afghanistan

April 1978: The conservative Daoud regime is overthrown in a left-wing coup led by a military commander.

December 1979: The Soviet Union airlifts troops to Kabul, the Afghan capital, and replaces the prime minister with a Soviet-backed party rival. In the next three years, Soviet military involvement increases because of continued resistance throughout the country by moujahedeen ("holy warrior") guerrillas.

April 1988: Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Soviet Union and the U.S. conclude agreements providing for Soviet troop withdrawal to be completed within one year.

February 1989: Soviet troop withdrawal completed. A new political and defense council is created to rule the country.

May 1991: The Afghan government announces that it is prepared to observe a cease-fire with the moujahedeen to implement a peace plan offered by the United Nations secretary-general.

September 1991: The U.S. and the Soviet Union declare that they will stop supplying arms to the combatants.

April 1992-August 1994: Afghan leader Najibullah resigns. A joint takeover of the country by moujahedeen, militia and former government forces occurs.

November 1994-September 1996: Several thousand young Taliban fighters, backed by Pakistan's Islamic clergy, win control of onethird of the Afghan provinces.

May-December 1997: Anti-Taliban groups unite as the United National Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan and control the north for the rest of the year.

August 1998: The Taliban launches a major offensive to try to win control of the country, but neighboring countries send troops to defend against possible fundamentalist incursions. U.S. cruise missiles strike camps in Afghanistan thought to be part of an alleged terrorist network run by Saudi militant Osama bin Laden. The attack is ordered by President Clinton in retaliation for the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania earlier in the month.

Early 1999: Talks are launched for a possible power-sharing agreement between the Taliban and its foes.

February 2001: The Taliban declares all statues idolatrous and orders the destruction of two large stone sculptures of the Buddha that had looked over the Bamian valley for at least 1,500 years. Even Islamic countries had pleaded for the statues to be spared.