1999 in Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
See also: 1998 in Afghanistan
, other events of 1999, and 2000 in Afghanistan.
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1998 in Afghanistan
See also: 1997 in Afghanistan, other events of 1998, and 1999 in Afghanistan.-----February 4, 1998:*At least 4,500 people died when a severe earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale strikes the opposition-ruled Rustaq district of Takhar province in northeastern Afghanistan...
, other events of 1999, and 2000 in Afghanistan.
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February 13, 1999
- America's public enemy number one, Osama Bin Laden, is reported missing by his Taliban hosts in Afghanistan.
May 9, 1999
- The Taliban movement says that its forces have retaken the key central town of Bamiyan from the opposition alliance.
June 20, 1999
- The Red Cross pulls non-essential foreign staff out of Afghanistan after 10 of its workers were beaten.
July 6, 1999
- U.S. President Bill Clinton imposes financial and commercial sanctions on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement because of its support of Saudi terrorism suspect Osama Bin Laden.
July 19, 1999
- The U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asia, Karl InderfurthKarl InderfurthKarl F. "Rick" Inderfurth is an American diplomat. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs from August 1997 to January 2001. In his capacity as Assistant Secretary, Inderfurth was responsible for US policy regarding Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,...
, tells Taliban Information Minister Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi that the U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
would be forced to take further actions if Osama bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
is not brought to justice.
July 28, 1999
- Thousands of Taliban fighters launch an offensive to crush Ahmad Shah Masood, the last hurdle between the Islamic militia and control of the whole of Afghanistan.
August 1, 1999
- Taliban fighters seize opposition leader Ahmad Shah Masood's key Bagram airbase in an offensive to establish total dominance of Afghanistan; anti-Taliban fighters recapture the airbase on August 5.
August 31, 1999
- Afghan Northern Alliance leaders, including Ahmad Shah Masood, General Sayed Husain Anwari, Ustad Sayaf and Yonnus Qanooni, met in the Panjsher Valley of AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to plan the establishment of a central Afghan bank and the recreation of close to a dozen ministries.
September 1, 1999
- Afghan Northern Alliance Spokesman General Sayed Anwari announced his forces made gains against the Taliban in Jozjan and Alaghan, killing commander Maulavi Ismael, pushed the Taliban from the districts of Aqgunbad, Tonjgola and Gosfandi, and captured the district of Gordara in Samangan provinceSamangan ProvinceSamangan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The province covers and has a population of approximately 313,211, as of 2006.Its capital, Samangan, is known for its ancient ruins including, notably, the Takht e Rostam...
. - Afghan Health Minister Mulla Mohammad Abbas Akhund met with PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i Health Minister Javed HashmiJaved HashmiMakhdoom Muhammad Javed Hashmi is a Pakistani political scientist, geostrategist, statesman, and the central public figure of the PML...
and Pakistani Director of General Health Ghayur Ayub to discuss the lack of medical facilities in AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
September 2, 1999
- The Afghan Northern Alliance rejected PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's peace efforts and planned to work further with the six-plus-two nationsSix-plus-two nationsThe six-plus-two nations describes an informal coalition of the six nations surrounding Afghanistan plus the United States and Russia, from 1999 to 2001...
. - In Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, U.S. United States Assistant Secretary of StateUnited States Assistant Secretary of StateIn modern times, Assistant Secretary of State is a title used for many executive positions in the United States State Department. A set of six Assistant Secretaries reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs manage diplomatic missions within their designated geographic regions, plus one...
for South Asia Karl InderfurthKarl InderfurthKarl F. "Rick" Inderfurth is an American diplomat. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs from August 1997 to January 2001. In his capacity as Assistant Secretary, Inderfurth was responsible for US policy regarding Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,...
and IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n senior officials Alok Prasad and Vivek Katju met to discuss AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
October 22, 1999
- United States Assistant Secretary of StateUnited States Assistant Secretary of StateIn modern times, Assistant Secretary of State is a title used for many executive positions in the United States State Department. A set of six Assistant Secretaries reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs manage diplomatic missions within their designated geographic regions, plus one...
for South Asia Karl InderfurthKarl InderfurthKarl F. "Rick" Inderfurth is an American diplomat. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs from August 1997 to January 2001. In his capacity as Assistant Secretary, Inderfurth was responsible for US policy regarding Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,...
told Congress that the US is “Prepared to work with the Taliban to rid Afghanistan of terrorist networks,” if it would hand over bin Laden to American authorities.
October 27, 1999
- Mullah Wakil Ahmed MuttawakilWakil Ahmed MuttawakilWakil Ahmad Muttawakil was the last Foreign Minister in the Taliban government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.Prior to this he served as spokesman and secretary to Mullah Mohammed Omar, leader of the Taliban. After the Northern Alliance accompanied by U.S...
is named foreign minister, replacing Mullah Mohammad Hassan. Mullah Abdul Razzaq is made interior minister, replacing Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa, who is appointed as governor of the western province of Herat.
October 29, 1999
- Saudi-born terrorism suspect Osama Bin Laden is reported to have sought safe passage from the Taliban's Afghanistan to an unknown country.
November 14, 1999
- UN sanctions against Afghanistan go into force, imposed for not handing over Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden.
December 25, 1999
- Hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814Indian Airlines Flight 814Indian Airlines Flight 814 commonly known as IC 814 was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India on Friday, December 24, 1999, when it was hijacked...
lands in Afghanistan at the Kandahar Airport.
December 31, 1999
- The passengers of filght 814 are freed and the hijackers are given 10 hours to leave Afghanistan by the Taliban.