1. http://www.theblaze.com/st ories/afghan-taliban-given- green-light-to-open-liaison- office-in-qatar/ http://www.debbieschlussel. com/25509/hilarious-video- lets-hear-it-for-the-new- taliban-terrorist-code-of- conduct/

2.  In 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.  The Taliban was a resistance force to the Soviet Invasion.  The Taliban was a section of the Afghan Mujahideen (A religious fighting group).  They inglicted heavy losses upon the Soviet army with 15,000 Soviet casualties by 1989.  (History of the Taliban)

3.  The Afghan Mujahideen overthrew the president of Afghanistan and took over the government that was in place.  The Taliban became a strong political movement in the mid 1990’s. During a civil war between Northern and Southern Afghanistan.  The became backed by the Pakistani government to protect trade routes. They were given weapons, military training, and financial support for their service to Pakistan.  (History of the Taliban)

4.  The Taliban had control of the Southern city of Kandahar  Over the next 2 years they expanded their territory through tactics of persuasion, negations, payoffs, and in some cases force.  In 1996 they surrounded the capitol city of Kabul and forcibly took over the national government.  (The Taliban in Afghanistan)

5.  Taliban law was a strict form of Islamic law  Women had to wear head to toe veils at all times. The Taliban completely banned television all together. Men were sometimes thrown in jail if their beards were deemed too short.  They were extremely intolerable to other religions. They are cited for the destruction of the giant Buddha statues in Bamiyan.  (The Taliban in Afghanistan) http://en.wikipedia.o rg/w/index.php?title= File:Flag_of_Taliban.sv g&page=1

6.  The Taliban at its largest controlled 90% of Afghanistan. The United Nations however refused to acknowledge this.  The Taliban then began to harbor a group of anti-American radicals called the al Qaeda  al Qaeda went on to plan the September, 11 th, 2001 attacks of the world trade center.  (History of the Taliban) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H amid_Mir_interviewing_Osama_bin _Laden.jpg

7.  After the ‘98 bombings of the Kenyan and Tanzanian embassies, and 9/11, the United States demanded that the Taliban to turn over the head of al Qaeda Osama Bin Laden.  When the Taliban refused the United States bombed strategic military points in Afghanistan.  They were forced out of Afghanistan by December of 2001  (History of the Taliban)

8.  Because of the Taliban’s policies of harboring terrorists there has been an on going conflict in the Middle East.  Terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and the 2005 London Public Transport bombings could have been prevented if the Taliban would have given up terrorist groups such as al Qaeda.  On September, 11 th, 2012 a judge ruled that the Taliban should pay 6 billion dollars for damages from the 9/11/2001 attacks  (Judge to al Qaeda)  O  p http://en.wikipedia.or g/wiki/File:North_face_ south_tower_after_pla ne_strike_9-11.jpg http://upload.wikimedi a.org/wikipedia/comm ons/b/b3/Russell_squar e_ambulances.jpg

9.  Mohammed Omar is the leader of the Taliban regime. He was the head of the Supreme Council of Afghanistan, when the Taliban still controlled that area. He is know known as the spiritual leader of he Taliban  Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil was the final foreign minister of the Taliban. He was the one who negotiated with the outside world, when Mohammed Omar did not want to.  (History of the Taliban) http://en.wiki pedia.org/wik i/File:Moham medomar.jpg

10.  Today the Taliban still fights the United States and Nato in Afghanistan. Although their numbers are no where near what they used to be  Most of their attacks are car bombings and suicide attacks.  In 2007 there were talks of a cease-fire between the Taliban and Pakistan, but ultimately these talks fell through.  (History of the Taliban)

11.  "Judge to Al Qaeda, Iran, Taliban: Pay $6B for 9/11." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 11 Sept. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.  Bajoria, Jayshree. "Council on Foreign Relations." Council on Foreign Relations. N.p., 6 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.  "History of the Taliban." History of the Taliban. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.