▁ 1 9 6 6 ▁in ▁Afghan istan . ▁ ▁Thanks ▁largely ▁to ▁the ▁intellig ent ▁use ▁made ▁of ▁the ▁aid ▁given ▁by ▁the ▁U . S . S . R ., ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁West ▁Germany , ▁Britain , ▁China , ▁and ▁the ▁World ▁Bank , ▁the ▁internal ▁economy ▁of ▁the ▁country ▁made ▁good ▁progress . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁five - year ▁plan , ▁which ▁began ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 6 , ▁aim ed ▁at ▁encourag ing ▁agricult ure , ▁especially ▁ir rig ation . ▁Exper ience ▁showed , ▁however , ▁that ▁progress ▁in ▁these ▁spher es ▁could ▁only ▁be ▁partially ▁achieved ▁as ▁long ▁as ▁internal ▁communic ations ▁remained ▁primitive ▁and ▁the ▁natural ▁resources ▁of ▁the ▁country ▁were ▁largely ▁un expl ored . ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁the ▁major ▁effort ▁was ▁di vert ed ▁to ▁the ▁construction ▁of ▁roads ▁and ▁air ports , ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁system atic ▁investigation ▁of ▁sources ▁of ▁water ▁supply ▁and ▁of ▁min eral ▁wealth . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁second ▁five - year ▁plan , ▁conditions ▁became ▁fav ou rable ▁on ▁many ▁economic ▁front . ▁Prom ising ▁depos its ▁of ▁natural ▁gas ▁and ▁of ▁iron ▁ore ▁were ▁discovered ; ▁the ▁power ▁available ▁for ▁industrial ▁use ▁increased ▁dram atically ; ▁and ▁the ▁extension ▁of ▁ir rig ation ▁led ▁to ▁substantial ly ▁increased ▁agricult ural ▁production . ▁ ▁In ▁Afghan istan , ▁as ▁in ▁many ▁other ▁under develop ed ▁countries , ▁however , ▁this ▁rapid ▁success ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁emer gence ▁of ▁new ▁problems ,