Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)

A war among Afghan factions after the Soviet-backed government fell in 1992 and before the Taliban seized Kabul in 1996, marked by shifting alliances and devastation in the capital.

Battle of Kabul (1992–1996): A series of battles among Afghan factions for control of Kabul from 1992 to 1996. The capital became the war’s principal battleground as rival factions fought for power.
Soviet–Afghan War: The 1979–1989 war in which Soviet forces supported Afghanistan’s communist government against insurgent mujahideen. The conflict left armed factions, foreign patrons, and unresolved rivalries that persisted after 1992.
Ahmad Shah Massoud: An Afghan commander and political leader of Jamiat-e Islami who defended Kabul against rival factions. Massoud led government forces in the capital during its fiercest battles.
Destruction of Kabul: The extensive physical damage to Kabul caused by years of fighting among Afghan factions in the 1990s. Factional bombardment devastated neighborhoods and civilian life in the capital.
Peshawar Accords: A 1992 agreement among Afghan mujahideen factions that established an interim government after the fall of Kabul. The accord tried to share power, but disputes over its terms quickly fed renewed fighting.
Mujahideen: Muslim fighters who waged armed jihad, including the Afghan groups that resisted Soviet forces and the communist government. The victorious resistance fractured into rival factions after the communist government fell.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: An Afghan Islamist leader who commanded Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin and opposed the post-1992 government. His forces’ attacks on Kabul made him one of the war’s central belligerents.
Afghan refugees: People forced to flee Afghanistan because of war, persecution, or other threats. Fighting displaced civilians within Afghanistan and drove many across its borders.
Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin: An Afghan Islamist political and militant organization led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Hekmatyar’s forces fought the government and shelled Kabul during the war.
Fall of Kabul (1992): The mujahideen takeover of Kabul in April 1992 after President Mohammad Najibullah’s government collapsed. It ended the old government and opened the struggle over who would rule Afghanistan.

Linked from 13 pages