Mujahideen Victory Day
Encyclopedia
Mujahideen Victory Day is a political holiday observed in Afghanistan
, falling on the 28 April each year. It commemorates the day when the Afghan mujahideen
overthrew the socialist government
in Afghanistan in 1992.
Although celebrated as a holiday by the people of Afghanistan, Mujahedeen Victory Day is somewhat of a mixed bag as far as holidays go. The day commemorates the fall of the Communist government in Afghanistan in 1992, some 3 years after the Soviet Army actually left Afghanistan
. While the expulsion of the Soviet Army in 1989 was a cause for celebration, the overthrow of the government in 1992 marked the turn from a civil war between the communist government and the mujahedeen militias to a war fought mainly between rival mujahedeen groups vying for power in the vacuum left behind. This remained the status quo until the Taliban’s eventual takeover with the fall of Kabul in 1996.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , 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...
, falling on the 28 April each year. It commemorates the day when the Afghan mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
overthrew the socialist government
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...
in Afghanistan in 1992.
Although celebrated as a holiday by the people of Afghanistan, Mujahedeen Victory Day is somewhat of a mixed bag as far as holidays go. The day commemorates the fall of the Communist government in Afghanistan in 1992, some 3 years after the Soviet Army actually left Afghanistan
Soviet troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
The Withdrawal of Soviet combatant forces from the Afghanistan began on May 15, 1988 and successfully executed on February 15, 1989 under the leadership of Colonel-General Boris Gromov who also was the last Soviet general officer to walk from the Asfghanistan back into Soviet territory through the...
. While the expulsion of the Soviet Army in 1989 was a cause for celebration, the overthrow of the government in 1992 marked the turn from a civil war between the communist government and the mujahedeen militias to a war fought mainly between rival mujahedeen groups vying for power in the vacuum left behind. This remained the status quo until the Taliban’s eventual takeover with the fall of Kabul in 1996.
Current festivities
- 2007: Afghan President Hamid KarzaiHamid KarzaiHamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
awarded medals to Mujahideen veterans in commemoration of the holiday. - 2006: Karzai gave a public speech at Kabul's Chaman-e-HozoriChaman-e-HozoriChaman-e-Hozori is a park in downtown Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan....
park- Also on Victory Day 2006, parliament deputy Malalai JoyaMalalai JoyaMalalai Joya is an activist, writer and a former politician from Afghanistan. She served as a Parliamentarian in the National Assembly of Afghanistan from 2005 until early 2007, after being dismissed for publicly denouncing the presence of what she considered to be warlords and war criminals in...
stood to denounce mujahideen atrocities, and was threatened with death by other parliament deputies. Reporters without BordersReporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
journalist Omid Yakmanish was beaten by two parliamentarians while attempting to film the debate.
- Also on Victory Day 2006, parliament deputy Malalai Joya