republic · Central Asia and the Steppe

Islamic State of Afghanistan

1992 CE – 2001 CE · capital Kabul

The mujahideen government that took Kabul in 1992 and fought a ruinous civil war, remaining the internationally recognised government even after the Taliban won.

Origins

After the fall of Mohammad Najibullah's government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in April 1992, mujahideen parties agreed in the Peshawar Accord to form the Islamic State of Afghanistan. Sibghatullah Mojaddedi served briefly as president, followed by Burhanuddin Rabbani of the Jamiat-e Islami.

Rule and society

The government, with Ahmad Shah Massoud as defence minister, never controlled the country. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Islami, Abdul Rashid Dostum's Uzbek militia and the Hazara Hezb-e Wahdat fought each other and the government for Kabul, killing tens of thousands of civilians in shelling. Regional warlords ruled elsewhere, and the country fragmented.

Decline and legacy

The Taliban took Kabul in 1996, founding the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996-2001). Rabbani's government kept the UN seat and controlled the north-east through the Northern Alliance. After the US-led intervention of 2001, Rabbani handed power to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's interim administration.

Lineage

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan 1978 CE – 1992 CEIslamic State of AfghanistanIslamic Republic of Afghanistan 2001 CE – 2021 CE

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Islamic State of Afghanistan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-state-of-afghanistan
MLA
“Islamic State of Afghanistan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-state-of-afghanistan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Islamic State of Afghanistan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-state-of-afghanistan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Islamic State of Afghanistan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-state-of-afghanistan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻