Jump to content

1996 in Afghanistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.130.134.17 (talk) at 01:36, 6 October 2008 (December 5, 2006). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

See also: 1995 in Afghanistan, other events of 1996, and 1997 in Afghanistan.


  • About 1,000 Muslim clergymen elect Taliban leader Mohammed Omar as amir al-momineen (commander of the faithful), denouncing Rabbani as unfit to lead the Islamic nation.
  • Hekmatyar, whose Hezb-i-Islami forces have bombarded the government in Kabul until driven from their positions by the Taliban, is sworn in again as prime minister. He immediately attempts to open contacts with northern Afghanistan's powerful warlord, General Dostum. From his power base in Mazari Sharif, Dostum continues to control a virtually independent northern Afghanistan. On July 3 President Rabbani names a 10-man cabinet under Prime Minister Hekmatyar. Foreign minister: Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai; defense: Wahidullah Sabawoon; finance: Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal; interior: Mohammad Younus Qanuni.
  • The Taliban launch a rapid offensive in eastern Afghanistan. Their forces capture the city of Jalalabad, together with important areas in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces. With these territorial advances most of Afghanistan's traditionally Pashtun homelands are united under Taliban control. The gains include Kabul's main road to Pakistan and seal the fate of Rabbani's mostly Tajik government.