It has been suggested that
Afghan rebel flags be
merged into this article. (
Discuss) Proposed since November 2023. |
This is a list of flags associated with Afghanistan.
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
De facto ( Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) | |||
15 August 2021–present |
|||
De jure ( Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) | |||
19 August 2013–present |
National flag |
Three vertical bands of black, red and green with the
National Emblem in white centered on the red band and then slightly overlapping the black and green bands.
| |
National flag (variant)
|
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
former
| |||
2004–2021 |
A black flag with a red circle with a white contour drawing of the
national emblem in 2004 version.
| ||
2004 |
A black flag with a red circle with a white contour drawing of the
national emblem in 1990s version.
| ||
1974–1978 |
Standard of the
President of Afghanistan under
Mohammad Daoud Khan. |
A red flag with a black circle with a red drawing of the national emblem.
| |
|
1933–1973 |
Standard of the
King of Afghanistan under
Mohammad Zahir Shah (obverse and reverse). |
National emblem on a red background on the obverse and royal
tughra on the reverse.
|
|
1931–1933 |
Standard of the
King of Afghanistan under
Mohammad Nadir Shah (obverse and reverse).
| |
|
1926–1929 |
Standard of the
King of Afghanistan under
Amanullah Khan (obverse and reverse). |
Amanullah Khan's emblem on a red background on the obverse and royal tughra on the reverse. The emblem consists of two crossed swords, a headdress called
kolah and a star, and all these elements were removed from the national emblem around the coronation of Amarullah as the first
king of Afghanistan.
|
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
former
| |||
2003 |
Flag of the
2003 loya jirga. |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021-present |
Flag of the
Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan |
White flag with the emblem of the Ministry of Defense.
| |
former
| |||
?–2021 |
Flag of the
Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan |
Red flag with the emblem of the Ministry of Defense in a monochrome gold version.
| |
2015–2021 |
Flag of the
Resolute Support Mission |
A green flag with the official mission logo.
| |
|
2001–2014 |
Flags of the
International Security Assistance Force |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021-present |
Flag of the
Afghan Army |
||
former
| |||
1974–1980 |
Flag of the
Afghan Army
|
||
c. 1961—? |
|||
?–1973 |
|||
1920s |
|||
Corps
| |||
2007–2021 |
Flag of the
Afghan National Army Commando Corps |
||
?–2021 |
Flag of the
209th Corps |
||
Flag of the
205th Corps |
|||
Flag of the
207th Corps |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021-present |
Flag of the
Afghan Air Force |
||
former
| |||
2010–2021 |
Flag of the
Afghan Air Force |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021–present |
|||
former
| |||
2001–2021 |
Flag of the
Afghan National Police |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021–present |
Flag of the Customs service of Afghanistan |
||
former
| |||
?–2021 |
Flag of the Customs service of Afghanistan |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021–present |
Flag of the
Ministry of Education |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021–present? |
A white flag with the national flag, the inscription "Afghanistan" and the
Olympic rings.
| ||
former
| |||
?–2021 |
Flag of the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
A white flag with the
Olympic rings and inscription "National Olympic Committee of Afghanistan".
| |
1930s |
Flag of the National Olympic Committee of the Kingdom of Afghanistan |
A flag of unknown colors used at the
Berlin Olympics contains a
kolah and Olympic rings.
|
Flag | Date | Regime | Description |
---|---|---|---|
National flags
| |||
2002–2004 |
|||
2002 |
|||
2001–2002 |
|||
1997–2001 |
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (variant) |
||
1996–1997 |
|||
1992–2001 |
|||
|
1992 |
||
1987–1992 |
|||
1980–1987 |
|||
1980 |
|||
1978–1980 |
|||
1978 |
|||
1974–1978 |
|||
1973–1974 |
|||
1931–1973 |
|||
1929–1930 |
|||
1929 |
|||
1929–1931 |
Emirate of Afghanistan, used in
Herat |
||
1929 |
|||
1929 and 1926–1928 |
|||
|
1928-1929 |
Kingdom of Afghanistan (possible appearance) |
|
1928 |
|||
1921–1926/29 |
|||
1919–1921 |
|||
1901–1919 |
|||
1880–1901 1818–1855 1709–1738 |
|||
1856–1919 |
Flag of the
United Kingdom used to represent the Emirate of Afghanistan abroad |
||
Local national flags
| |||
1991 1996 |
|||
1818–1842 |
|||
1830s |
|||
Other
| |||
c. 1842 |
Pashtun banner captured
at Jellalabad |
An example of a Pashtun tribal battle flag. Red triangular banner with Shahada and green frame, woven red and yellow fringes were also present on the edges.
[4]
| |
c. 1839 |
Pashtun banner captured
at Ghazni |
Flag | Date | Party | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2005–present |
|||
2004–present |
Red flag with a yellow star in the canton.
| ||
2004–present |
|||
Link to file | 2003–present |
Party emblem on blue background.
| |
1997–present |
Party emblem on blue background.
| ||
Link to file | 1992–present |
National flag from 1974-1978 with the party emblem instead of the national emblem.
| |
1989–present |
Party emblem on blue background.
| ||
1979–present |
A black flag with a gold emblem in the canton. The emblem consists of crossed swords, a wreath of wheat and
Takbir.
| ||
Link to file | 1973–present |
A red flag with three raised hands, holding a
hammer, a sickle and a gun respectively.
| |
1972–present |
Green flag with a white emblem.
| ||
1976–present |
Green flag with a white emblem. The emblem contains many symbols of the national emblem, to which the open
Quran adds. There is also Shahada under the emblem.
| ||
former
| |||
1975–1979 |
Green flag with a white emblem. The emblem contains many symbols of the national emblem, to which the open
Quran adds.
| ||
1965–1992 |
Red flag with gold party emblem in the canton. The emblem consists of an ear of wheat superimposed on a gear wheel. The emblem consists of an ear of wheat placed on a gear wheel, symbolizing farmers and workers. Another variant of the party's flag served for a short time as the national flag.
| ||
1965–1992 |
Democratic Youth Organisation of Afghanistan, youth wing of the PDPA. |
A red flag with the emblem moved towards the mast. The emblem consisted of PDPA symbols, a
clenched fist, schematic mountains and a
red star.
|
This table does not include flags derived from rebels that became national flags. Such cases occurred once during the Saqqawists period in 1929 and twice in connection with the Taliban takeovers in 1996 and 2021.
Flag | Date | Group | Description |
---|---|---|---|
current
| |||
2021–Present |
National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, used together with the flags of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the
Islamic State of Afghanistan
[6]
[7] |
A variant of the 1990s of the national flag used by
Northern Alliance.
| |
2022–Present |
Red-blue-green tricolor with the white
crescent moon and a star on a blue stripe. The star and crescent resembles the
Kokbayraq flag.
| ||
2015–Present |
Variant of the
Jihadist flag used in Afghanistan by
Islamic State – Khorasan Province
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12] and
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
(splinter faction)
|
The flag consists of the
Black Standard with a white text of the Shahada emblazoned across it in depicts the second phrase of the
shahada in the form of a depiction of the supposedly historical
seal of Muhammad.
[13]
| |
2021-present
|
Freedom and Democracy Front, Hazaristan Resistance Front [14] | The front announced its existence in October 2021. It operates mainly in the provinces of Maidan Wardak and Ghazni. It is composed exclusively of Hazaras, both ex-military and civilians. A spokesman for the front announced in a video released in October that the group's goal is to fight the Taliban and the ISKP throughout Hazarajat. [14] | |
2014–present |
Two-color white and blue flag divided into 1/3 of its length with a wavy pattern
| ||
1996–present |
|||
1988–present |
White text of the
Shahada above a white
crescent moon and a star on a blue background. The star and crescent comes from the
Kokbayraq flag, while the Shahada symbolizes Islam.
| ||
1979–Present |
Variant of the
Jihadist flag used in Afghanistan by
:
|
The flag consists of the
Black Standard with a white text of the Shahada emblazoned across it in
calligraphy style writing.
| |
former
| |||
Link to file | 1987–1989 |
||
1979 |
Flag associated with the
Herat insurgents in 1979. |
A green flag with white
Takbir inscription.
| |
1916–1934 |
Flag of the
Basmachi movement. |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
2014 |
Yellow-red-violet tricolor with the inscription "new Khorosan".
| ||
1970s |
Flag used in
Nuristan in the 1970s, it is not known if it was an ethnic or political flag. |
A white and red flag with stripes separated by a tenfold
triangular wave.
|
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
2013–present |
|||
1947–present |
|||
?–present |
Flag of
Pashayi people |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1934–present |
Flags of the
Afghan Red Crescent Society |
Red Crescent surrounded by the association's names written in black in Pashto at the top and
Dari at the bottom.
| |
1935 |
Rejected red Mehrab-e-Ahmar project to replace the red crescent
[24] |
A red mosque similar to the national emblem on a white background
|
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1965–present |
Flag of
Ariana Afghan Airlines |
The flag features an blue Afghan swallow bird from logo on white field. Blue representing precious lapis lazuli stones.
[25]
|
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
early 19th century |
Flags from the Afghanistan Military school at the time of Amir
Habibullah Khan |
Flag | Date | Use | Description |
---|---|---|---|
1980s–present |
A flag representing the Hazaras in pan-Turkish concepts.
[26] |
A blue flag with a gold symbol found on
Hephthalites and
Kushan coins. Blue is the traditional color of steppe nomads, it means the blue sky of the god
Tengri. This has no direct connection with the Hazaras, but it connects
Turks and
Mongols.
| |
1969–present |
Attributed flag of
Ghaznavids, designed by Akib Öbek in 1969 as part of concept of
16 Great Turkic Empires |
Green glag with a grey crescent in canton and a peacock. It can appear in many artistic variants.
[27]
| |
?–present |
A fictitious flag of Ghaznavids spread on the Internet |
A black field with a golden full moon.
| |
1969–present |
Attributed flag of
Hephthalites, designed by Akib Öbek in 1969 as part of concept of
16 Great Turkic Empires |
White flag with three yellow stars placed vertically in upper hoist. White may refer to the White Huns, which was one of the terms for the Hephthalites.
[28]
| |
? |
Alleged alternative variant of the flag of
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
National flag from 1978–1980 in green instead of red.
[29]
|