600 Years of Afghan History on Hard Drive

A major initiative by the U.S. Library of Congress will provide the next generation of Afghans access to digital information about their countries history. The "Afghanistan Project" has digitized the library's collection of materials related to the country. This includes books, photographs, maps, manuscripts, and newspapers. Read more in "600 years of history finds its way home - on a hard drive", McClatchy, September 23, 2016.

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A Little History - Germans in Afghanistan WWI

Over one hundred years ago during World War I the Germans attempted to influence events in Afghanistan. Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analyst Network (AAN) provides us a glimpse of events long ago in two online articles:

"Afghanistan in World War I (1): Afghans in the Kaiser's jihad", July 27, 2014.

"Afghanistan in World War I (2): England must lose India - Afghanistan as a German bridgehead", August 19, 2015.

Preserving Afghan History

Jack Detsch worries about the treasures of antiquity in Afghanistan. He believes more needs to be done to stop the looting of Afghan's historical sites. Read more in "Preserving History: Lessons from Afghanistan and Iraq", The Diplomat, March 10, 2015.

History - '3 Hut Uprising' of 1980

Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) has provided us with a synopsis of the '3 Hut Uprising' that took place in Kabul in early 1980. An uprising that protested the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Read Six Days that shook Kabul: The '3 Hut uprising', first urban protest against the Soviet occupation dated 22 Feb 2015.

13 Year Anniversary of Afghan War

America's longest war just had its 13th anniversary. On October 7, 2001 the United States commenced combat operations against the Taliban regime. The first day of the war involved airstrikes by US and British forces against Taliban installations, communications nodes, and training camps. Cruise missiles were launched from three U.S. Aegis cruisers and one destroyer as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles from British and American submarines. In addition, F/A-18s, B-1s, B-2s and B-52s conducted bombing runs. There were small detachments of U.S. Army Special Forces (and the occasional CIA agent) infiltrated to work alongside elements of the Northern Alliance. Read more in a news article posted by the Business Insider on October 7, 2014.

Afghan Death Toll at 13 Years

As of Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at least 2,207 members of the United States military had died as as a result of a deployment to Afghanistan (count by Associated Press). 1,826 of those deaths were the result of hostile action. Over 20,000 were wounded in Afghanistan; some very seriously with life-long injuries. See "US Military Deaths in Afghanistan at 2,207", ABC News, October 7, 2014.

US Army Smartbook on Afghanistan Available for Download as Smartphone Application

The US Army now has a Smartbook that is available as a smartphone download on Afghanistan. Topics include history, political, relevant country data, military operational environment, religion and culture, ethnic groups, and more. It is written by the Army's TRADOC Culture Center and is entitled Afghanistan Smart Book. Learn more about the US Army smartbook as an app here "US Army smartbook now a smart app", Circling the Lion's Den, March 15, 2012. The Afghanistan Smart Book by the TRADOC Culture Center, 3rd Edition Jan 11 is available in PDF format for download at the following link: http://info.publicintelligence.net/AfghanSmartBook.pdf.

Book: "Afghanistan Declassified" by Brian Williams

Brian Williams, an Associate Professor of Islamic History at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, has done extensive fieldwork in Afghanistan. He is the author of Afghanistan Declassified: A Guide to America's Longest War.  The book is adapted from a field manual he wrote for the U.S Army based on field work he conducted in Afghanistan.  Brian Williams has traveled to Afghanistan frequently over the past decade and is a historian of Central Asia. The book provides essential background to the war, tracing the rise, fall, and reemergence of the Taliban.  Sections of the book cover the Predator drone campaign in Pakistan, spread of suicide bombings, and comparisons of Soviet and U.S. experiences in Afghanistan.

His book can be purchased online at Amazon.com at the following link:

 Afghanistan Declassified: A Guide to America's Longest War.

Afghan History Books - Leaving out the Wars

A recent news article tells us how U.S. government funded history books provided to classrooms are leaving out the past 40 years of conflict.  Read more in "In Afghanistan, a new approach to teaching history: Leave out the wars", The Washington Post, February 4, 2012.