Aghanistan History

(page 25) "I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing."
(page 36) "July 17, 1973 Kabul woke the next morning to find that the monarchy was a thing of the past."

The historic background of the Sunni–Shia split lies in the schism that occurred when the Islamic prophet Muhammad died in the year 632, leading to a dispute over succession to Muhammad as a caliph of the Islamic community spread across various parts of the world which led to the Battle of Siffin. Sectarian violence persists to this day from Pakistan to Yemen and is the most common element of friction throughout the Middle East. Over the years Sunni-Shia relations have been marked by both cooperation and conflict, often with deadly violence. A period of relative harmony during most of the 20th century has been replaced by conflict, particularly following the start of the Iraq War. Today there are differences in religious practice, traditions and customs as well as religious beliefs.
The Soviet War in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist puppet government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the indigenous Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers. The mujahideen found other support from a variety of sources including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Egypt, China and other nations. The Afghan war became a proxy war in the broader context of the late Cold War.
The initial Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on December 24, 1979 under Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev. The final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989 under the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Due to the interminable nature of the war, the conflict in Afghanistan has sometimes been referred to as the Soviet Union's Vietnam War.
Kabul is an ideal city because of its location. It was made the capital of afghanistan. Since the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan, the city has been a target of militant groups. It is currently being re-developed but attacks by Taliban and other militants are slowing down the reconstruction process.
The background of the story is centered around the historical events that have taken place in Afghanistan in the past fifty years. They greatly impact where Amir goes and the choices he makes.