Af ‧ ghan ‧ is ‧ tan /æfˈɡænəstɑːn, æfˈɡænɪstɑːn, -stæn $ -stæn/ BrE AmE
a country in Asia that is west of Pakistan and east of Iran. Population: 31,889,923 (2007). Capital: Kabul. Afghanistan is known as a place where there have been many wars. In 1979, the Soviet Union ↑ invade d Afghanistan (=entered it by force in order to take control) . The Mujahedin, supported by the US, fought against the Soviet Union. After the Soviet soldiers left in 1989, there was a ↑ civil war (=war between different groups of people from the same country) , and in 1996 the Taliban took control of large parts of the country. The Taliban allowed Osama Bin Laden, who was responsible for the September 11 attacks in the US, to establish military bases in Afghanistan. The US believed that al-Qaeda fighters were being trained at these bases. When the Taliban refused to say where Osama Bin Laden was, the US attacked the country in 2001. After the Taliban were defeated, a new government was established, with Hamid Karzai as its leader. ⇨ ↑ Taliban