Taliban

The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group that emerged within the ethnic Pashto countryside of Afghanistan in the 1990s. Its aim was to conquer the country during the Afghan Civil War, and it imposed its radical vision of Islamic law. He ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, was overthrown by US troops and returned to power in 2021.

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Taliban Summary

• It is an Islamic fundamentalist group that espouses a radical position on Islamic law.
• Emerged in the Pashto ethnic group in 1994 during the Afghan Civil War period.
• It conquered much of Afghan territory in 1996 and imposed a reactionary and authoritarian government.
• It was overthrown in 2001 after the US invaded Afghanistan.
• He returned to power with the withdrawal of US troops.

Origins of the Taliban

The Taliban is a Sunni fundamentalist group that emerged in Afghanistan in 1994. This group originated from the instability that Afghanistan was experiencing during the period of the Afghan Civil War and was formed by members of the ethnicity patch , majority in Afghanistan. It was formed with the adhesion of students from the madrasas , religious schools.

Most of these schools were located in Pakistan, a neighboring country where there is also a significant share of Pashtuns. The influence of these students in the emergence of the Taliban was so great that the group's name derives from Taliban , which in patcho means “students”. These students wanted to guarantee peace and security in Afghanistan, according to official speech, but they also wanted to impose a radical interpretation of Islamic law, the Sharia.

Did the Taliban rule Afghanistan?

Yes, the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and regained power in the country in August 2021. As mentioned, the Taliban emerged as an armed militia in 1994, and the context was that of the Afghan Civil War, a conflict in which different groups disputed power in Afghanistan. The Taliban came up with fundamentalist and conservative ideals and wanted to impose them on the entire country.

In a short time, the group began to expand throughout Afghanistan and, in 1996, conquered the city of Kabul, the country's capital. With this, the Emirate was established Islamic from Afghanistan , the Taliban government. From there, the group came to control about 90% of the country's territory, with the exception of a part in the north that was under Alliance. from North , an opposition group to the Taliban.

The Taliban government was reactionary and authoritarian . A common practice of these radicals in the period was the executions public . People who committed certain crimes could be flogged and have limbs amputated, also in public. The Taliban government only had international recognition from three countries at the time:Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Taliban promoted a series of changes in the country. Women were required to wear the burqa and could only go out on the streets accompanied by a relative. They were also banned from studying and could only work in the health field for patient care. Men, in turn, were forced to grow their beards and wear turbans in the street.

There was persecution against religious and ethnic minorities , in addition to the fact that typical elements of Western culture, such as music, television and cinema, were banned from the country. Among the persecuted groups were Shiites, Christians, Hindus, Tajiks, among others. Those who disrespected the rules imposed by the Taliban could face the aforementioned punishments (flogging, amputation or execution).

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When were the Taliban toppled?

The overthrow of the Taliban from power, in 2001, came about through a US-led military campaign . This military expedition was a direct consequence of the attacks of September 11, 2001, in which al-Qaeda carried out terrorist acts that led to the death of 3,000 people in the United States.

Al-Qaeda is another Sunni fundamentalist organization, and at the time was led by the Saudi Osama bin Laden . It turns out that al-Qaeda was sheltering in the territory of Afghanistan, using the country as a base for the training of new terrorists, and this happened with the authorization of the Taliban government.

The US government demanded that the Taliban drive al-Qaeda out of their territory and hand over Osama bin Laden so he could be tried and arrested. As the Taliban refused to comply with US demands, the US government allied itself with the Northern Alliance and began the invasion of Afghanistan, in October 2001.

Two months later, the Taliban was overthrown. From then on, the group went through a period of weakening, but it never ceased to exist. He went into hiding in parts of Afghanistan and extended his actions to Pakistan. Since then, the Taliban has financed itself through extortion of the population, donation and production of opium.

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Taliban return to power

For 20 years, the Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan, and in that period a government was formed with characteristics similar to those of liberal democracies in the West. In these 20 years, the Afghan government had the support of the United States, which guaranteed the security of the country and carried out the training of the Afghan army so that it could fight against fundamentalism in the country.

The return of the Taliban was a consequence of the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan . This process was officially started in 2020, during the Trump administration, and negotiations between the United States and the Taliban took place to mediate this exit. Starting with Joe Biden's government, the withdrawal took place effectively.

The Taliban had been in a process of strengthening and expanding their activities since 2014, and their influence was evident in some provinces in the interior of the country . In early 2021, Joe Biden announced that the withdrawal of US troops would take place by September. In August, this withdrawal was accelerated, and this kicked off a major Taliban military campaign.

In almost two weeks, the Taliban reconquered all of Afghan territory, with the exception of a region in the Panjshir valley. OnAugust 15, 2021 , Kabul was reconquered by the Taliban. The country's former president, Ashraf Ghani, fled, and a new Taliban government was established in the country. There is great fear about how the Taliban will govern Afghanistan.

• Video lesson on the Taliban and the resumption of power in Afghanistan

Taliban and the War in Afghanistan

Many make a historical link between the 1979 Afghanistan War and the rise of the Taliban. This conflict began in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghan territory to protect the socialist government that had been in place in the country since 1978. The Soviets fought the mujahideen , rebels who wanted to overthrow the socialists.

The mujahidin they considered themselves holy warriors fighting socialist atheists. These rebels were financed by the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and within these groups a series of reactionary and fundamentalist ideals developed.

After 10 years of war, the mujahidin expelled the Soviets, and, in 1992, they managed to overthrow the socialist government of Afghanistan. A new government was formed, but the differences in interests between the mujahidin groups caused a civil war to break out. It was in this scenario that the Taliban emerged. Part of the mujahidin and Afghan fundamentalists decided to join the Taliban when that group emerged in 1994.

• Video Lesson on the 1979 Afghan War

Image credits

[1] john smith 2021 and Shutterstock