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With United States involvement in Afghanistan, knowledge of the country is imperative. This handbook explains a number of basic issues that should be in the knowledge toolbox of a Marine working with Afghanis or deployed to the country. Three main forces have shaped present day Afghanistan: Tribalism, Islam, and geography. They have permanent and far-reaching effects on Afghan society and on anyone involved with that society. Even though it is a landlocked country, Afghanistan has been on the crossroads of history. The country and people have been at the mercy of numerous empires and conquering states. Afghanistan was a prize worth possessing for its river basins and fertile valley and for its location on the east-west trade routes, especially the Silk Route to China. This geographic factor has affected and changed the peoples of Afghanistan. The interaction of the various ethnic groups that invaded the region contributed to the patchwork of people that make up present- day Afghanistan. This constant shift and pressure of various external and internal groups has molded the Afghan attitude toward outsiders and indigenous groups of the country. Tribalism is another key factor that has affected the social organization of Afghan society. It affects kinship, loyalties, honor, and even revenge. International tribalism is not just a local issue. Tribalism is what holds much of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist network together. This handbook contains information on the following characteristics of Afghanistan: geography and climate, economy and livelihood, languages spoken, ethnic groups, Afghan history, the Taliban, post-9/11 Afghanistan, Afghan government, Operation Enduring Freedom, Islam, Mohammed, Five Pillars of Islam, the Koran and Sunnah, jihad, Islamic schools, and Osama bin Laden. The appendixes contain a short history of Al Qaeda's terrorist activities, Al Qaeda's top commanders and international associations, and references.