Is Afghanistan a middle-eastern country?  No, a South Central Asian country.

People of Afghanistan are called Afghans, not Afghani.  Afghani is name of the currency used in Afghanistan.

Are Afghans and Arabs the same?  No, people of  Afghanistan are Afghans, consisting of many different ethnicities, but we are united as Afghans.

Are all Afghans Muslims?  Islam is the dominant religion in Afghanistan, but there are also Sikh, Hindu, Jewish and Christian people living in Afghanistan.

Major Ethnic Groups in Afghanistan:

Pashtuns:  Mostly living in south and eastern Afghanistan.  People living in the western regions of Pakistan (previously Afghan territories) are also Pashtuns.  Pashtu (Pakhtu/Pukhto) is the language spoken by Pashtuns.

Tajiks: They speak Dari and mostly live in northern and western half of Afghanistan.  Tajiks also live in Tajikistan, the northern neighbor of Afghanistan, an ex-Soviet republic.

Hazaras:  They live in the central mountainous areas of Afghanistan and are known to be very talented and hardworking group of people. They speak Hazaragee, which is almost the same as Dari.

Uzbeks:  It is mostly the Uzbek riders who play Buzkashi, the Afghan national sport.  Living mostly in the northern areas of Afghanistan, they speak Uzbeki, a language also spoken in Uzbekistan, an ex-Soviet republic north of Afghanistan.  Uzbeks are famous for their round breads and red rugs.

Turkmens:  Also living in the north, they speak Turkmeni. 

There are also other smaller ethnic groups living in Afghanistan..

Afghans are working hard to re-unify and rebuild their war torn country, eradicate terrorism and poppy cultivation from their native land.  They need the support of its neighbors and other  democratic nations.

The biggest challenge we are facing today is to cut-off external interference in our domestic and international policies from foreign countries such as Pakistan and other players in the region.