Clearly Afghanistan has exploded into the world headlines, in after effect of the September 11, 2001 attack on the U.S. World Trade Center Towers and the U.S. Pentagon.
The ruling group at the time, the Taliban, thought by most western analysts as true throwback Islamic Extermists, allowed and in fact gave sanction to Al Qaida and Osama Bid Laden, those thought responsible for the attacks on the U.S.
The United States wasted little time as they began operations against the Taliban government after they refused to give up Al Qaida members or Osama Bin Laden. The government, led by Mullah Omar, was given a deadline and when no action was taken by the Taliban, the U.S. began an air campaign which made way for ground operations for the Northern Alliance, a fairly rag- tag group of opposition forces that had been fighting the Taliban for nearly a decade.
Pushing the Taliban out of the nation's capital, Kabul, the Afghan nation began rule under an interim government late in December of 2001.
The following are links of interest for Afghanistan: