Who are the Taliban?

Before we go any more into the situation in Afghanistan, it is important to know who the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are fighting.


The Taliban emerged in 1994 in the midst of the turmoil and fighting after the USSR withdrew in 1988. They are supported mainly by the ethnic group, the Pashtuns. They ruled Afghanistan until 2001, when they were toppled by a US-led invasion following the September 11th attacks. The terrorists responsible for the attack were being harbored by the Taliban regime, and refused to turn over Osama bin Laden and his leadership.

The Taliban rose to power by promising to bring stability and security to a war-weary people. By 1994 the Afghans were tired of fighting and would do almost anything to achieve this. By the fall of 1994, the Taliban had control of about 90% of the country, including the capital Kabul.

There are many ties between the Taliban and neighboring Pakistan. For instance, in the early years of the fighting, the Taliban rescued a Pakistani convoy under attack from rival mujaheddin forces. Also, most of the Taliban supporters are Pashtun, the majority ethic group in Afghanistan and the now infamous tribal regions of Pakistan.

With the Taliban's roots of supporting Islamist extremism, they also were open to harboring Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network. This is what eventually led them to a war with the US and ISAF forces. After other bombing in Kenya and Tanzania, the US demanded that the Taliban extradite Osama bin Laden. They refused and the US bombed Osama's camp. They also failed to hand him over after 9-11, which caused the US and its allies to invade on October 7, 2001. Since then, the Taliban was routed from Kabul and most of the country, and forced back, along with al Qaeda, into the Pashtun tribal regions on the Afghan-Pakistan border. They have recently gained in strength and are becoming more bold in their attacks. For now the Taliban are still out there and still fighting against the US and its allies.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1549285.stm