The Taliban BY: Taylor BOger

Where did they Come From and how were they formed?

The Taliban’s flag.

The Taliban’s Formation It emerged as a movement that started in 1994, against crime, violence, and corruption of the Afghanistan warlords who were governing after the Soviet rule had ended in 1989. The Taliban was founded in Kandahar by Pashtun graduates of the Pakistani religious college (Poolos) (Bajoria). The Taliban was put in place to gain control of all of Afghanistan (Yung). They wanted to end political chaos that had been going on since the end of the Soviet reign and they wanted to impose strict understandings of Islam (Poolos). The group consisted of leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, and his group of religious students, who were taught the violent religious views of the Taliban(Yung). The people in this group vary in their motives. Some want a global jihad or local grievances (Bajoria). Mullah Muhammad Omar

The Taliban’s Formation They formed as one of the Mujahedeen groups and they guarded a convoy trying to open a trade route from Pakistan to Central Asia, which proved that they were powerful (History). Osama bin Laden was the leader of al Qaeda. He was first exiled from Sudan because of his terrorist activities and returned to Afghanistan where he supplied money to the Taliban and became very close to them. The US, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and several other countries funded the troops that were fighting against the Soviets. Osama bin Laden was the impetus for a turning point in how the Taliban thought (Poolos). The US soon realized they had given money and weapons to the Taliban. The United States and Pakistan should have been held responsible for the creation of the Taliban (Origins). Osama bin Laden

How did they rise to power?

The Taliban's rise to power and their Reign Their rise to power began when they rescued a convoy of trucks from an Afghan warlord. Also, they established law and order in places where the warlords were, which increased their military capability and popularity (Poolos). After weeks of forming this group, the Taliban captured Kandahar. By 1997, they had taken 22 provinces. One of these was Kabul (1996), where they used their most extreme regime of Islamic law. The Taliban controlled 90% of Afghanistan by 2001. They kept their power because of their stability and by the fear they enforced by harsh tactics (Yung).

This is the law that the Taliban enforced.

The Taliban's rise to power and their reign Soon, they had a setback and lost all of their power because of the US and the warlord’s opposition, so they used the year of 2005 to regroup, learn new tactics, and learn to use digital propaganda (Yung). In 2006, they had decided to try to take back Kandahar by fighting NATO forces. They also fought the Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance (History). They soon gained back most of their territory. The Taliban used guerilla warfare and terrorism to fight and then they would harass the population of the places they took (Yung). They ended up becoming very harsh when they forced a strict interpretation of Islamic law. There was a total of 45,000 troops that would kill civilians and destroy villages in the areas they capture (Poolos). They ruled from 1996 to 2001 with help from al Qaeda along the way (Hayes). The Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance The NATO flag

How did they effect Afghanistan?

The effects of the Taliban on Afghanistan They killed numerous citizens including members of Parliament, Coalition collaborators, and Afghan government officials. The Taliban is responsible for the violence in Afghanistan that takes place in the south. The Taliban’s propaganda was very influential and expressed the ideas on demising the government and the discipline of the Taliban (Yung). They imposed severe restrictions on women and banned television. They also enforced very severe punishments for criminals (Poolos). The Taliban banned television. Women were forced to wear burqas.

The effects of the Taliban on Afghanistan They strongly used gender discrimination against women and their rights. They were not allowed to work, learn, leave the house without a man, and wear what they want without the fear of being beaten, shot, or flogged. They also were accountable for depression in women (Taliban). They had a huge influence on the schooling of young boys. Fighting in tribal areas increased because of the Taliban (Hayes). Women and men being beaten as a punishment.

This women was brutally shot because she did not follow the Taliban’s laws.

Works Cited Bajoria, Jayshree. "Council on Foreign Relations Works Cited Bajoria, Jayshree. "Council on Foreign Relations." Council on Foreign Relations. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Hayes, Laura. "Who Are the Taliban?" Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. "History of the Taliban." HIstory of the Taliban. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. "Origins of Taliban." Origins of Taliban. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Poolos, Alexandra. "Afghanistan: The Taliban's Rise To Power." RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. "Taliban Regime." Taliban Regime. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Yung, Jason. "Afghanistan: The Taliban." Parliament of Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

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