Forging ahead

Afghanistan's new government hopes to ensure foreign donors deliver the aid they have promised of delivering aid which will help the country's economy recover after decades of war.

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Friday 14 June

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Hamid Karzai among the many delegates at the loya jirga

Afghanistan's national council meets and delegates from across the country overwhelmingly elect Hamid Karzai as President. He will lead the country for two years until elections can be held. The new president spoke to the BBC about his main priority for the country, maintaining the peace of the last six months.

 Afghan President Hamid Karzai

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Friday 19 April

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Hamid Karzai escorted Zahir Shah home from Italy

Former Afghan king Zahir Shah has returned to Kabul from Italy after 29 years in exile. He returned as an ordinary citizen, but it is hoped he will help heal the rifts between Afghanistan's different ethnic groups. He introduced democratic reforms to his country before being ousted in a coup in 1973.

 The BBC's Lyse Doucet reports

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Thursday 31 January

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Mr Karzai was given the rare honour of attending a UK government cabinet meeting

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair promises continued British backing for the rebuilding of Afghanistan during talks in Downing Street with interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai but stops short of agreeing to Mr Karzai's request for extra troops. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's fragile peace in threatened by factional fighting around the town of Gardez.

 The BBC's James Robbins reports

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Wednesday 30 January

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Hamid Karzai at the UN in New York

Hamid Karzai, leader of Afghanistan's interim government, has asked the United Nations to extend and expand the mandate of the international security force currently patrolling the capital, Kabul.

 The BBC's Paul Reynolds reports

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Monday 21 January

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The World Bank has estimated Afghanistan will need £15 bn of aid in the next decade

International donors meeting in Tokyo promise more than $3bn to help Afghanistan recover from what its leader calls years of "disaster". It is only a fraction of what Afghanistan will need to rebuild its shattered infrastructure. The immediate priority will be projects with an immediate impact such as clearing farmers' fields of landmines.

 The BBC's Jake Lynch reports

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Thursday 17 January

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Colin Powell arrives at the Presidential Palace in Kabul

The US Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Kabul to pledge continuing support to Afghanistan and its new government. The Afghan Prime Minister Hamed Karzai pledges to fight against corruption to ensure that aid money is spent effectively.

 The BBC's Jon Leyne reports

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Wednesday 9 January

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Two US soldiers stand next to a fire at their base outside Kabul where the first snows of winter have fallen

US forces are continuing their hunt for Osama Bin Laden and remaining al-Qaeda forces. Three Taleban ministers who were captured by local Afghan forces are thought to be under house arrest in Kandahar. Washington wants them handed over for trial in the United States.

 The BBC's Nick Hawton reports

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Tuesday 8 January

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Many Afghan children have died from starvation

Years of drought and decades of war have destroyed much of Afghanistan's ability to feed itself. Some Afghans have so little food they are forced to eat grass. For the adults it means hardship but for the children it can mean disease or even death

 The BBC's Jim Fish reports

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Monday 7 January

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Tony Blair visited at night as an additional security precaution

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair becomes the first western leader to visit Afghanistan since the start of the current conflict. Amid tight security, his plane touched down at Bagram airfield outside Kabul. He visited British troops and held talks with the head of the new Afghan government, Hamed Karzai.

 The BBC's John Pienaar reports

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Sunday 6 January

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America's most senior Taleban prisoner

American aircraft reportedly bomb suspected al-Qaeda positions in the mountainous region of Spin Ghar in eastern Afghanistan. Meanwhile US personnel are questioning their most senior Taleban prisoner - the former ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef.

 The BBC's Richard Miron reports

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Friday 4 January

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British General John McColl and US General David Kratzne examine the agreement for an international security force

A US special forces soldier is the first to die from hostile fire since the start of the conflict. He was liaising with local Afghan militia near the Pakistan border in operations against al-Qaeda forces. In Kabul, agreement is finally reached for the international security force to take control of the streets of the capital.

 The BBC's Stephen Sackur reports

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Thursday 3 January

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The Taleban leader fled Kandahar several weeks ago

Afghan tribal leaders are reported to be negotiating the handover of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the spiritual leader of the collapsed Taleban movement. Taleban forces in Baghran, north of Kandahar are reported to be ready to hand him over if the US stops bombing them.

 The BBC's Jane Bennett-Powell reports