1979 Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
1992 Mujahideen (armed fighters who subscribe to militant Islamic ideologies) drive Soviet forces out of Afghanistan
1993 Fighting between tribal factions in Afghanistan
1994 Emergence of the Taliban (one of the strongest factions in Afghanistan)
November 5: Taliban seize Kandahar
November 25: Taliban seize Lashkargarh and Helmand in southern Afghanistan
1995 About 3,000 Pakistanis cross the border at Peshawar, Pakistan to join the Taliban
March 7: Taliban move into southern Kabul
September: Taliban seize Shindand and Herat
1996 September: Taliban seize Jalalabad, Sarobi, Asadabad and Kabul, and offer refuge to Osama bin Ladin
1997 January: Taliban seize Bagram
February: Taliban delegation visits the United States
May 19: General Malik Pahlawan joins the Taliban
1998 July 12 : Taliban capture Maimana
August 1: Taliban capture Shebargham
August 7: Bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Osama bin Laden is prime suspect
August 10: Taliban capture Taloquan
August 20: U.S. fighter planes attack alleged training camps of bin Laden
September 13: Taliban take Bamiyan
1999 February 2: U.S. Deputy of State Strobe Talbot meets Taliban in Islamabad, Pakistan and hands over letter requesting extradition of bin Laden
2000 September 5: Taliban capture Taloquan in Takhar province
2001 March: Taliban blow up two statues of Buddhas carved into the cliff at Bamiyan
September 11: Terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon
mid-September: U.S. demands that the Taliban hand over bin Laden and al-Qaeda members
October 7: U.S., aided by the United Kingdom, Canada, and supported by a coalition of other countries including several from the NATO alliance, initiated military actions in Afghanistan, and bombed Taliban and Al Qaeda related camps
November 13: Taliban withdraw from both Kabul and Jalalabad
December: Taliban withdraw from their last stronghold at the city of Kandahar, dispersing in various directions