©2023, Lit & More

Name:

AFGHANISTAN TIMELINE
This timeline represents the past 100 or so years of Afghanistan's political history. Using the internet, record the
major conflict or political event that coincides with date on the timeline. Events highlighted in bold represent
events from the setting of The Kite Runner. The timeline continues on the back.
EVENT 1

1921 King Amanullah Khan became the ruler of Afghanistan and

EVENT 1
tried to make the country more modern.
EVENT 2

King Amanullah Khan was forced to stop being king because

1926
EVENT 2
people were mad at him.

EVENT 3

1929 Afghanistan saw the Bacha-i-Saqao uprising, resulting in

EVENT 3 the overthrow of King Amanullah Khan and the start of
chaos.
EVENT 4

Mohammad Zahir Shah becomes the king of Afghanistan.

1933
EVENT 4

EVENT 5

1944-1947 Various tribal revolts took place along the Afghanistan and
Pakistan border, weakening the stability of that region.
EVENT 5

EVENT 6

Afghanistan grows in relations with the Soviet Union and

introduces several communist reforms.
1953-1965
EVENT 6

EVENT 7

1973 After the terrible night, Amir, Hassan, and Ali

EVENT 7 thought the removal of the king would change
Afghanistan forever.

1978
EVENT 8

General Daud is overthrown and killed in a coup. Beginning EVENT 8

of a violent conflict.
©2023, Lit & More

AFGHANISTAN TIMELINE
Events highlighted in bold represent events from the setting of The Kite Runner.

EVENT 9

1979 Communist government is defended by the Soviet Red

EVENT 9 Army invasion.

EVENT 10

By this year, almost 4 million Afghans have fled to Pakistan

or Iran because of the conflicts in Afghanistan.
1982
EVENT 10

EVENT 11

1988 Al-Qaeda forms under the leadership of Osama bin Laden.

EVENT 11

EVENT 12

Najibullah's control fails, which leads to a civil war. 1992

EVENT 12

EVENT 13

1995 The Taliban took control of Herat, an important step

EVENT 13 forward to rule Afghanistan during the civil war.

EVENT 14

The September 11 attack on the United States started by 2001

US-led bombing of Afghanistan. Soon after, forces from the EVENT 14

Northern Alliance against the Taliban arrived in Kabul.

EVENT 15

2001-2021 The "War on Terror" wages between Afghanistan and the

US.
EVENT 15

2021
EVENT 16

After other countries left, the Taliban took control of EVENT 16

Afghanistan again, which led to extreme chaos.