A timeline of events in Afghanistan contextualizing US and NATO involvement in the country:1979-89: occupying Soviet forces battle loosely allied US-backed resistance fighters, many of whom seek competing fates for Afghanistan when the Soviet withdrawal occurs, giving way to civil war. 1996: The ultraconservative Taliban (in English: Students, referring to the pupils of Islamic religious schools) seize power in Afghanistan. 1996: Saudi-born billionaire Osama bin Laden relocates from Sudan to Afghanistan. September 11, 2001: Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network attack the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC using commercial aircraft, killing 2,977 people. Circa 2006: Osama bin Laden relocates to Abbottabad, Pakistan, according to US intelligence.

Source: Indian Express August 15, 2021 15:50 UTC