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Afghanistan: COUNTRY PROFILE
COUNTRY PROFILE: AFGHANISTAN
May 2006
COUNTRY
Formal Name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Dowlat-e Eslami-ye-Afghanestan).
Short Form: Afghanistan.
Term for Citizen(s): Afghan(s).
Capital: Kabul.
Major Cities: Herat (Hirat), Jalalabad, Kandahar (Qandahar), Kondoz (Kunduz), and Mazar-e Sharif.
Independence: Afghanistan recognizes its independence day as August 19, the date in 1919 when the country became fully independent of British rule.
Public Holidays: The date of celebration of Afghanistan’s Muslim holidays varies because the Islamic calendar is 354 days rather than 365. The holidays in this category are the beginning of Ramadan, Eid al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice, the end of Ramadan), Ashura (the martyrdom of Imam Hussein), and the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Holidays observed on fixed dates include Nawros (New Year’s, on the vernal equinox), Victory Day (April 28), and Independence Day (August 19).
Flag: The background of the Afghan flag is three equal vertical sections of black, red, and green from left to right. In the center of the flag in yellow is the national coat of arms, which portrays a mosque with a banner and a sheaf of wheat on either side. In the upper-middle part of the insignia are the lines “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” and “Allah is Great.” together with a rising sun. The word “Afghanistan” and the year 1298 (the Muslim calendar equivalent of the year of independence, 1919) are located in the lower part of the insignia.
RECENT NEWS ARTICLES Online - International News Network,NEW DELHI’: India will host next month a crucial conference of countries contributing to reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. ... US urges Germany to extend mandate in Afghanistan - 24 Oct 2006 Reuters AlertNet,BERLIN, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Germany should consider extending its Afghanistan mandate to allow its troops to move to the south of the country, where other NATO ... Meet on Afghanistan in New Delhi next month - 24 Oct 2006 Zee News,New Delhi, Oct 23: India will host next month a crucial conference of countries contributing to reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. ... Prison sentence for Dutch soldier refusing to serve in Afghanistan - 24 Oct 2006 Khaleej Times,THE HAGUE - Dutch prosecutors on Monday asked for a four-month prison sentence for a 21-year-old soldier who has refused to serve in Afghanistan, the ANP news ... Gross stupidity in Afghanistan - 24 Oct 2006 Asia Times Online,The US-led coalition is unambiguously losing the war in Afghanistan, and it is important, at this stage, to reiterate the obvious, that is, precisely why the ... Underwood soldier serving in Afghanistan - 24 Oct 2006 Shoreline Beacon,Fischer is in Afghanistan stationed at Kandahar Air Force Base with the Canadian Armed Forces. ... On-going news concerning Afghanistan is important to the family. ... Afghanistan NATO’s most important task - 24 Oct 2006 Online - International News Network,OSLO: Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere says that Norway supports NATO and other allies in the view that Afghanistan must be seen as NATO’s most important ... Opposition grills government over Afghanistan - 24 Oct 2006 Aftenposten,...of the two main opposition parties in the Norwegian Parliament grilled government ministers on Tuesday over their refusal to send more troops to Afghanistan. ... Other local casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan - 24 Oct 2006 Daytona Beach News-Journal,2 near Korengal, Afghanistan, when his unit encountered enemy forces as it tried to recover casualties from a firefight earlier that day. ... Can Afghanistan Get All its Girls in School ? - 24 Oct 2006 World Bank Group,Since the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the country has experienced a dramatic increase in school enrolment, particularly for girls. ... Canada's sudden Afghan burnout - 24 Oct 2006 Toronto Star,...suggested last week that the military might have to "re-role" some trainee soldiers from their preferred jobs to serve as infantry in Afghanistan, the Halifax ... Dumb and dumber - 24 Oct 2006 Toronto Star,...who added snafu to the vernacular are now looking for other ways to relieve unsustainable pressure on an army Stephen Harper committed to Afghanistan until 2009 ... War takes heavy toll on NS - 24 Oct 2006 Toronto Star,HALIFAX—If blood is the price for stabilizing Afghanistan, then Nova Scotians have picked up a hefty chunk of the tab. Seven of ... 3rd BCT making progress in Afghanistan - 24 Oct 2006 News 10 Now,Commander of the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team says US troops are making progress in Afghanistan. Colonel John ... Support for Canuck mission waning - 24 Oct 2006 Calgary Sun,EDMONTON -- A military wife says support for the war in Afghanistan is waning in Edmonton, and an Ontario father fears the stagnant mission means more troops ... Afghanistan and Pakistan to hold jirgas - 24 Oct 2006 United Press International...with Bush to convene "jirgas," or councils of tribal elders, on both sides of the border to seek their assistance in ending the rising violence in Afghanistan. ... India, Russia discuss opium terror, Al Qaeda - 24 Oct 2006 Telugu Portal,New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) Drug financing of terror groups in Afghanistan and the threat potential of Al Qaeda modules in the subcontinent figured prominently in ... This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. In addition to being featured in the front matter of published Country Studies, they are now being prepared as stand-alone reference aides for all countries in the series, as well as for a number of additional countries of interest. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant. |
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