The current political situation in Afghanistan is very unstable. The two main groups vying for control of the country are the United Front (UNIFSA), and the Taliban militia which controls all the major cities in the country. The former king, Mohammad Zahir, currently living in Italy, is also active in presenting his "Loya Jirga" (Grand Assembly) peace plan.

Taliban - Headed by Mullah Omar, the Taliban movement is one of the most powerful groups today in Afghanistan. The group controls all the major cities in the country as well as the capital, Kabul. The Taliban are only recognized by three countries, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as the legitimate rulers of the country.

United National and Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (UNIFSA) - A movement composed of various political parties brought together in their common struggle against Taliban rule in Afghanistan. It primarily consists of: Jamiat-e Islami, Hezbe-e Wahdat, Harak-e Islami, Haji Qadeer's eastern Shura, and Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan. In the western media, it is incorrectly referred to as the Northern Alliance.

Country name:	conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan; note - the self-proclaimed Taliban government refers to the country as Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan
Government type:	no functioning central government, administered by factions
Capital:	Kabul
Administrative divisions:	30 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol; note - there may be two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and Khowst
Independence:	19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
National holiday:	Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Constitution:	none
Legal system:	a new legal system has not been adopted but all factions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a (Islamic law)
Suffrage:	NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Executive branch:	on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning government at this time, and the country remains divided among fighting factions note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate government of Afghanistan; however, the UN still recognizes the government of Burhanuddin RABBANI; the Organization of the Islamic Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations among the warring factions; the country is essentially divided along ethnic lines; the Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and approximately two-thirds of the country including the predominately ethnic Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have their stronghold in the ethnically diverse north
Legislative branch:	non-functioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch:	upper courts were non-functioning as of March 1995 (local Shari'a or Islamic law courts are functioning throughout the country)
Political parties and leaders:	Taliban (Religious Students Movement) [Mullah Mohammad OMAR]; United National Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan or UNIFSA [Burhanuddin RABBANI, chairman; Gen. Abdul Rashid DOSTAM, vice chairman; Ahmad Shah MASOOD, military commander; Mohammed Yunis QANUNI, spokesman]; note - made up of 13 parties opposed to the Taliban including Harakat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Movement of Afghanistan), Hizb-i-Islami (Islamic Party), Hizb-i-Wahdat-i-Islami (Islamic Unity Party), Jumaat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Afghan Society), Jumbish-i-Milli (National Front), Mahaz-i-Milli-i-Islami (National Islamic Front)
Political pressure groups and leaders:	Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Mellat (Social Democratic Party) [leader NA]; Peshawar, Pakistan-based groups such as the Coordination Council for National Unity and Understanding in Afghanistan or CUNUA [Ishaq GAILANI]; tribal elders represent traditional Pashtun leadership; Writers Union of Free Afghanistan or WUFA [A. Rasul AMIN]
International organization participation:	AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:	none; note - embassy operations suspended 21 August 1997 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:	the US embassy in Kabul has been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns
Flag description:	three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by two crossed scimitars note: the Taliban uses a plain white flag