The Taliban rule Afghanistan.
The capture of Kabul is the next chapter in an exceptional situation that has lasted for decades.
A chronology.
Kabul - The militant Islamist Taliban have regained power in Afghanistan.
After western troops had been stationed in the South Asian country for 20 years, it was decided to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2020.
As a result, the radical Islamists took large parts of Afghanistan and declared themselves - largely without resistance - the new rulers.
The lightning campaign within a few days and the conquest of the capital of Kabul represent the climax of the Afghanistan conflict, which has been smoldering for years. A chronology of the events.
(All the latest news about developments in Afghanistan can be found in our brand new daily Afghanistan newsletter.)
Afghanistan chronology: Taliban in power until 2001 - overthrow of the government after 9/11
Fall 1994
: Afghan Islamists founded the Taliban movement in the early 1990s.
The group goes back to radical Islamists who fled the Soviet occupation.
In 1989 the Soviet troops left Afghanistan and left the country to its own devices.
The Taliban appear for the first time in Kandahar, a city in the south of the country that was conquered on November 5, 1994.
As a result, the Taliban usurped more and more parts of the country.
September 27, 1996
: After the Taliban had fired at Kabul for over two years, the capital was captured.
The group proclaims the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" - which is only recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
1996 to 2001
: The Taliban are in power in Afghanistan.
Strict rules based on Islamic law, the Sharia, apply to the people.
The penalties for breaking the law are draconian: there are flogging, executions and mutilations.
The Taliban also carry out several massacres of the civilian population, in which the terrorist group Al-Qaeda is also involved.
The Taliban are protecting Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and his organization.
September 9, 2001
: Al-Qaeda murdered - probably with the support of the Taliban - Ahmad Shah Massoud.
He was the leader of the Afghan resistance against the Taliban.
September 11, 2001
: The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington cause around 3,000 deaths.
Al-Qaeda’s Taliban allies are identified as the perpetrators.
The then US President George W. Bush announced a "war on terror".
In the weeks that followed, the United States called for Osama bin Laden to be extradited.
The Taliban reject it.
Autumn / Winter 2001
: The terrorist attacks have long since become a political issue.
NATO sends an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers to Afghanistan.
The Red-Green Federal Government under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) decides to take part in the war in Afghanistan with German troops.
The regime is overthrown.
The Taliban are fleeing Kabul to Pakistan.
Hamid Karzai becomes head of a transitional government.
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The symbol of terrorism: The World Trade Center in New York
© AFP / SETH MCALLISTER
Afghanistan chronology: War in the country - Taliban remain present despite Western troops
October 9, 2004
: For the first time since the fall of the Taliban, a presidential election takes place.
Many Afghans have hope, the turnout is 70 percent.
Karzai remains in office and wins with 55 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, the Taliban are reorganizing in the south and east of the country and across the border with Pakistan.
2009
: The situation in Afghanistan remains tense.
While living conditions are improving for some people, such as women, the country continues to face major problems.
The war is not over.
The Taliban are carrying out attacks across the country, for example in the corruption-ridden presidential election.
The new US President Barack Obama is trying to end the war in Afghanistan and increases the US troop strength initially to 68,000 and then to 100,000 in 2010.
May 2, 2011
: Osama bin Laden is killed by US special forces in Pakistan.
Obama then announced the withdrawal of 33,000 US soldiers by mid-2012.
December 2014
: NATO ends its combat mission after 13 years.
However, some of the soldiers remain in the country to train the Afghan armed forces, including soldiers from the Bundeswehr.
The following year, the Taliban gained significant ground militarily.
The group also carried out attacks outside of the areas they controlled, above all in Kabul.
Meanwhile, the balance of power in Afghanistan is changing.
The situation should not really improve under any president.
Afghanistan chronology: After troop withdrawal - Taliban recapture land
February 29, 2020
: The US and Taliban sign historic agreement.
In it, both sides agree to withdraw all international troops by May 2021, when the Islamists start peace talks with the government in Kabul and comply with further security guarantees.
The talks are overshadowed by a wave of violence, allegedly by the Taliban.
May-July 2021
: The USA and NATO begin withdrawing their remaining 9,500 soldiers.
On July 2, they handed over the Bagram base, from where the international operation had been coordinated for a long time, to the Afghan army.
The troops of the Bundeswehr are also returning to Germany.
Summer 2021
: The Taliban begin a massive military offensive and take large parts of the country.
The Afghan army initially withdraws to the provincial capitals.
At the beginning of August, most of the cities fell to the Taliban within a few days, including Kandahar and Herat, the second and third largest cities in the country.
August 15, 2021
: The Taliban conquer the capital Kabul and declare their victory.