Free When Elephants Fight by Eric Walters

well as much more coordinated in its efforts. The war became increasingly violent as the Soviet army attempted to put down the uprising, and there were enormous casualties on both sides.
    Those most affected though were the ordinary citizens. The ongoing war played havoc with the economy, destroyed infrastructure and made daily living, and even survival, impossible for millions of people. They fled their homes. It is estimated that close to five million Afghans fled their homes, either taking refuge in other parts of Afghanistan or leaving the country. Over a million refugees flooded into Pakistan and Iran, and hundreds of thousands settled in countries around the world.
    As the war continued, it began to take a toll on the Soviet Union. The war was costing billions of dollars to pursue, including the cost of propping up the Afghan government. There was also an increasing loss of life. External world opinion, internal political pressure within the Soviet government as well as public disapproval continued to mount. The war was being fought at a terrible cost of money and men and, just as important, was beginning to appear to be hopeless.
After the Soviet Withdrawal 1989–1992
    In 1989 an agreement was reached whereby the Soviet Union would withdraw its forces and the Western powers would stop providing support for the resistance fighters.
    By the time the Soviets retreated from Afghanistan, they had suffered the loss of over fifteen thousand lives and many more times that number of wounded.
    With the withdrawal of the Soviet forces, the Afghan government was in a very weak state. The various resistance groups which had already established control over large swaths of the country set up provisional governments in many rural areas. These groups had continued to fight the Afghan government, but some also started to negotiate and cooperate, and even battle other groups to position themselves to take control of the entire country. As the mujahideen continued to gain power throughout the country there became a feeling that the government would ultimately be defeated, and members of the armed forces began to plan how to cooperate with those who would eventually take power. In April of 1992, the government and the capital, Kabul, fell.
The Taliban
    While there were various factions battling for control of the country, one group, the Taliban, slowly established a place of dominance. This group was defined by a very strict understanding of the practice of the Muslim faith. It imposed harsh fundamentalist laws, including stoning for adultery and severing hands for theft. There were public executions and beatings. Women were prohibited from work and school and had to cover themselves head to foot to go in public, and they couldn’t go out without a male relative. Music and Internet were banned. Men were required to wear beards, and no public events, like soccer or kite-flying, were allowed. By 1998 they had effectively gained control of over 90 percent of the country.
    The northern sections of the country remained in conflict with the Taliban. The Northern Alliance, as they came to be known, tended to be Shi’a Muslim while the Taliban were primarily Sunni. As well, the Taliban were mostly ethnic Pashtun, and the Northern Alliance belonged to other tribal groups.
    The infrastructure of the country continued to be destroyed and the economy was weak. Infant mortality rates rose, life expectancy fell and people were not able to obtain thebasics of life, including food, water or shelter. Millions of people, some who had returned home, once again fled either internally within the country or over to other countries.

    An Afghan boy stands outside his tent in Kabul. Many families have been forced to relocate after fighting increased against the Taliban
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    During this period, the western world paid little attention to the internal battles within Afghanistan. There was no military involvement and very little foreign aid given to the