Kâbul, the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, is the economic and cultural hub of the country. Located on the Gateway to the ‘Fabulous East’, the tribal columns from Central and West Asia have occupied, passed through and trampled the city many a time. However, the worst times it witnessed was the Taliban Era (1978-2003), not because some foreign invaders trampled over it, but because its own people, the Afghans turned Mujahideens, turned Taliban, left nothing intact, not even minds and souls of the people. Here is an account of what I read about the city and what I saw during my visits during 2007-09.

Since 1978, Afghanis have been fighting against external forces as much as among themselves. Being the capital city, Kabul had to bear the destruction caused by marching armies and exploding bombs. The Mujahideen, the protectors of the faith, eventually succeeded in taking control of the country from Russian hands in 1992. Mohammad Nazibullah, the then pro-USSR president of the country, fearing capture and execution, took shelter in the UN Mission building. Taliban, the Millitia of Islamic Students, subdued other factions of the Mujahideen and gained control over Kabul in 1996. Najibullah was forcibly taken away from the UN Mission and executed in an open pavilion. The Taliban practiced a radical form of Sunni Islam that took strict stances on women, society, and even other sects of Muslims. They ruled over Afghanistan with an iron fist until their ouster by the American forces in 2001.