List of Afghan flags
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of flags associated with Afghanistan.
National flag
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (ruling government) | |||
.svg) |
15 August 2021–present |
||
.svg) | |||
| Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (internationally-recognized former government) | |||
.svg) | 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. |
Standards of the head of state
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
former | |||
.svg) | 2004–2021 | A black flag with a red circle with a white contour drawing of the national emblem in 2004 version. | |
.svg) | 2004 | A black flag with a red circle with a white contour drawing of the national emblem in 1990s version. | |
_(Variant).svg) | 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. |
.svg) | 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. |
.svg) | |||
| 1931–1933 | Standard of the King of Afghanistan under Mohammad Nadir Shah (obverse and reverse). | |
.svg) | |||
 | 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. |
.svg) | |||
Loya Jirga/Majlis
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
former | |||
 | 2003 | Flag of the 2003 loya jirga. | White flag with emblem. In the green border there are three silhouettes of human heads, turned to the right and imitating the Afghan national colors. Above the profiles is the Arabic Shahada in black, while below is an open book. The profiles are surrounded by a wreath of wheat ears taken from the national emblem. |
Military flags
| 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 | |||
.svg) | ?–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 | |
.svg) |
A white flag with the official mission logo. | ||
Army
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
current | |||
 | 2021–present | Flag of the Afghan Army | |
former | |||
 | 1987–1992 | Flag of the Afghan Army | |
.svg) | 1974–1980 | ||
 | c. 1961—? | ||
.svg) | ?–1973 | ||
 |
?–1973 |
Flag of the royal guard | |
.svg) | 1920s |
Flag of the Afghan Army | |
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 | ||
Air Force
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
current | |||
2025–present |
Flag of the Afghan Air Force[1] |
||
| 2021–2025 | ||
former | |||
 | 2010–2021 | Flag of the Afghan Air Force | |
Law enforcement
Police
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
current | |||
2021–present | |||
former | |||
_(2001-2021).svg) | 2001–2021 | Flag of the Afghan National Police | |
Customs Department
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
current | |||
| Link to file | c 2024–present | Flag of the Afghanistan Customs Department | |
former | |||
.svg) | 2021–c 2024 | Flag of the Customs service of Afghanistan | |
 | ?–2021 | Flag of the Customs service of Afghanistan | |
Supreme Audit Office
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
current | |||
 | 2020–present | Flag of the Supreme Audit Office of Afghanistan | |
Ministries
Olympic Committee
| 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". |
.svg) | 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. |
Historical flags
| Flag | Date | Regime | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
National flags | |||
.svg) | 2002–2004 | ||
.svg) | 2001–2002 | ||
.svg) | 1997–2001 | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (variant) | |
.svg) | 1996–1997 | ||
.svg) | 1992–2001 | ||
.svg) .svg) | 1992 | ||
.svg) | 1987–1992 | ||
.svg) | 1980–1987 | ||
.svg) | 1978–1980 | ||
.svg) | 1978 | ||
.svg) | 1974–1978 | ||
.svg) | 1973–1974 | ||
.svg) | 1931–1973 | ||
.svg) | 1929–1931 | ||
.svg) | 1929 | ||
.svg) | |||
 | 1929–1931 | Emirate of Afghanistan, used in Herat | |
.svg) | 1929 | ||
.svg) | 1929 and 1926–1928 | ||
.svg) _(variant).svg) _(Gold).svg) | 1928-1929 | Kingdom of Afghanistan (possible appearance) | |
.svg) | 1928 | ||
.svg) | 1921–1926/29 | ||
.svg) | 1919–1921 | ||
.svg) | 1901–1919 | ||
.svg) | 1880–1901 | ||
1818–1855 | |||
1709–1738 | |||
Local national flags | |||
 | 1996 | ||
1991 | |||
 | 1818–1842 | ||
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.[9] |
 | c. 1839 | Pashtun banner captured at Ghazni | |
Political flags
Political parties flags
| Flag | Date | Party | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
current | |||
 | 2005–? | Green field with yellow Arabic calligraphy arranged in an arc. The inscription "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful". Under the arc is also the name of the organization written in white. | |
_Party_of_Afghanistan.svg) | 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. | |
 | 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 briefly served as the national flag. | |
.svg) | |||
 | 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. | |
Rebel groups flags
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 | A variant of the 1990s of the national flag used by Northern Alliance. | |
 |
?–present |
Afghan United Front | A modified Daoud Republic-era eagle on a dark background. |
 | 2022 | Red-blue-green tricolor with the white crescent moon and a star on a blue stripe. The star and crescent resembles the Kök Bayraq flag. | |
 | 2015–present | Variant of the Jihadist flag used in Afghanistan by Islamic State – Khorasan Province[13][14][15][16] 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.[17] |
 | 2014 | Two-color white and blue flag divided into 1/3 of its length with a wavy pattern | |
 |
2006–present |
||
 | 1996–present | The flag is divided into two horizontal sections, where the upper section consists of six equal horizontal black and white stripes. The lower section is red and has a black and white Arabic inscription "We will destroy the infidels". Below the writing is a stylized sword. | |
 | 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 Kök Bayraq 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. |
| Link to file | 1970s–present | A red flag with three raised hands, holding a hammer, a sickle and a gun respectively. | |
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. | Red and white horizontal stripes, on the hoist side there is an orange rectangle with a white crescent moon and five-pointed star symbol. The whole is surrounded by a thin blue border. |
Other
Ethnic groups flags
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 2013–present | ||
 | 1947–present | ||
 | ?–present | Flag of Pashayi people |
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