Afghanistan marks 107th anniversary of independence

Afghanistan marked the 107th anniversary of its independence on August 19, commemorating the end of British control over the nation’s foreign affairs. The independence was secured following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, which concluded with the Treaty of Rawalpindi. This settlement allowed Afghanistan to assert full sovereignty and conduct its own foreign policy, ending a period of British influence that had persisted through previous conflicts.

The independence movement was central to the reign of King Amanullah Khan, who sought to centralize the country and implement political and social reforms. In a statement, the Taliban congratulated the nation, linking the 1919 struggle for authority to their own return to power in 2021. The historical context of the independence includes the ‘Great Game’—the geopolitical competition between the British and Russian Empires for influence in Central Asia.