The people of Afghanistan continue to suffer as they serve as targets of imperialist powers such as Russia and the United States. It has suffered enormous damage due to terrorist attacks, Soviet imperialism and the current problem with US military occupation. In 1992, Mohammad Najibullah's pro-Soviet government collapsed and US-backed rebels took power. The Taliban eventually took Kabul after a violent civil war that killed thousands more. He ruled with a strict interpretation of Islamic law until he was ousted by the US-led invasion. Although Taliban rule has since weakened, the US military occupation has further increased the country's economic instability and the number of Afghan civilians suffering from emotional illnesses. The ongoing war has led millions of Afghans to leave the country and move to foreign lands such as Iran and Pakistan, where they have felt displaced. The country itself, once suffused with beautiful monuments, has lost many of its historical treasures as they were stolen from neighboring countries and shipped to the United States. An entire generation has grown up without ever experiencing peace, and many Afghans are struggling to cope with the psychological, economic, social and physical ramifications of conflicts, past and present. American society sees Afghanistan solely as a battle zone and a source of new engagement with its neighbor, Iran. They refuse to look beyond the war zone and realize that there are real individuals who have lost their country to years of war and that Afghanistan has a rich history, culture, literature and art, as well as a magnificent landscape which will be destroyed. problems are not solved immediately with the right...... middle of paper......pushing them as they initially aimed to. Works Cited Feroozi Abdul W. "Untitled." Cultural heritage training resource: Afghanistan. Department of Defense Legacy Asset Management Program, May 16, 2014. Web. May 16, 2014Arbour, Louise. Women and conflicts in Afghanistan. Belgium: International Crisis Group Asia Report, 1 January 2013. PDF. Hopkins, Nancy. Afghanistan in 2013: A survey of the Afghan people. Kabul: Asia Foundation, 1 January 2013. PDF.Southworth, Matt. Cost of the war in Afghanistan: the numbers. N/A: Friends Committee on National Legislation, June 6, 2013. PDF.Jackson, Ashley. PDF. N/A: Afghan Civil Society Forum, 6 October 2011.Crawford, Neta C. PDF. Boston: Cannon Caucus Room, October 6, 2011 Achakzai, Sitara. SILENCE IS VIOLENCE: Ending the abuse of women in Afghanistan. Kabul: Human Rights, United Nations Assistance in Afghanistan, 8 July 2009. PDF.