Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

1996–2001

Flag

Coat of arms

Capital

Kabul

Common languages

Pashto (official)
Dari (recognised)
Arabic (recognised)

Government

theocracy

Head of the Supreme Council

• 1996–2001

Mohammed Omar

Historical era

Post-Cold War
War on Terror

• Established

27 September 1996

• Disestablished

2001

ISO 3166 code

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Islamic State of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was the name used for Afghanistan by a group called the Taliban. They controlled most of the country from 1996 until 2001. In 2001, the United States and its allies took over from the Taliban.

The Taliban did not control all of Afghanistan during this time. A group known as the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, also called the Northern Alliance, controlled a small part of the country in the north.

What Was the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan?
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See also

What Was the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan?

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was a country ruled by the Taliban. An "emirate" is a type of state led by a ruler called an "emir." The Taliban aimed to create a government based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Who Were the Taliban?

The Taliban is a political and religious group that formed in Afghanistan. The word "Taliban" means "students" in the Pashto language. Many of their early members were students from religious schools. They aimed to bring peace and order to Afghanistan after years of war.

How Did the Taliban Take Control?

Afghanistan had been in a civil war for many years. Different groups were fighting for control. The Taliban gained power quickly in the mid-1990s. They promised to end the fighting and bring stability.

They captured the capital city, Kabul, in September 1996. This marked the start of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. By 1998, they controlled about 90% of the country.

Life Under Taliban Rule

Under the Taliban's rule, daily life changed a lot for people in Afghanistan. They put in place very strict rules based on their beliefs. For example, women were not allowed to go to school or work. They also had to wear a full-body covering called a burqa.

Music, television, and movies were banned. Men were required to grow beards. The Taliban also destroyed many historical statues and cultural sites. This included the ancient Buddhas of Bamiyan, which were very famous.

The End of the Islamic Emirate

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ended in 2001. This happened after the September 11 attacks in the United States. The US government believed that the Taliban were protecting Osama bin Laden. He was the leader of Al-Qaeda, the group responsible for the attacks.

The United States and its allies launched military operations in Afghanistan. This led to the fall of the Taliban government. By December 2001, the Taliban had lost control of most major cities. A new government was then formed in Afghanistan.

Images for kids

Tents of Afghan nomads in the northern Badghis province of Afghanistan. Early peasant farming villages came into existence in Afghanistan about 7,000 years ago.
The extent of the Indus Valley civilization during its mature phase
A "Bactrian gold" Scythian belt depicting Dionysus, from Tillya Tepe in the ancient region of Bactria
Approximate maximum extent of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom, formed by the fragmentation of Alexander the Great's Empire, circa 180 BCE
Saffarid rule at its greatest extent under Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar
Map of the Hotak Empire during the Reign of Mirwais Hotak, 1715.
Map of the Hotak Empire at its height in 1728. Disputed between Hussain Hotak (Centered in Kandahar) and Ashraf Hotak (centered in Isfahan)
Portrait of Ahmad Shah Durrani c. 1757.
Afghan tribesmen in 1841, painted by British officer James Rattray
Emir Amanullah invaded British India in 1919 and proclaimed Afghanistan's full independence thereafter. He proclaimed himself King of Afghanistan in June 1926.
King Zahir, the last reigning monarch of Afghanistan, who reigned from 1933 until 1973.
Development of the civil war from 1992 to late 2001
U.S. troops and Chinooks in Afghanistan, 2008
A map of Afghanistan showing the 2021 Taliban offensive
Taliban fighters in Kabul on a captured Humvee following the 2021 fall of Kabul.
The mountainous topography of Afghanistan
The snow leopard was the official national animal of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
A 2005 CIA map showing traditional Afghan tribal territories. Pashtun tribes form the world's largest tribal society.
Ethnolinguistic map of Afghanistan (2001)
Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif is the largest mosque in Afghanistan
UNESCO Institute of Statistics Afghanistan Literacy Rate population plus15 1980–2018
The Arg (the Presidential palace) in Kabul
Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces, which are further divided into a number of districts
Workers processing pomegranates (anaar), which Afghanistan is famous for in Asia
Afghan rugs are one of Afghanistan's main exports
Afghan saffron has been recognized as the world's best
Lapis lazuli stones
Band-e Amir National Park
The Minaret of Jam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, currently under threat by erosion and flooding
The Salang Tunnel, once the highest tunnel in the world, provides a key connection between the north and south of the country
An Ariana Afghan Airlines Airbus A310 in 2006
An Afghan family near Kholm, 1939 – most Afghans are tribal
A house occupied by nomadic kochi people in Nangarhar Province
Kabul skyline, displaying both historical and contemporary buildings
A traditional Afghan embroidery pattern
The Afghan rubab
Non (bread) from a local baker, the most widely consumed bread in Afghanistan
Haft Mewa (Seven Fruit Syrup) is popularly consumed during Nowruz in Afghanistan
The ancient national sport of Afghanistan, Buzkashi