Taliban

At a glance

Dates: From 2013.

What came before

Afghanistan experienced civil war and Soviet occupation throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. After Soviet withdrawal in 1989, competing mujahideen factions fought for control, creating widespread instability and lawlessness across the country.

By 1994, warlords controlled different regions with little central authority, and banditry plagued major trade routes. The population grew increasingly frustrated with the chaos and lack of security.

Catalyst / how it started

The Taliban emerged in 1994 from Islamic seminaries (madrasas) in Pakistan, initially as a militia movement led by Mullah Omar. They gained rapid support by promising to restore order and enforce Islamic law after years of factional warfare.

The movement captured Kandahar in 1994 and Kabul in 1996, establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. By 2013, they had regrouped as an insurgent force after their 2001 overthrow.

Who was involved

Mullah Muhammad Omar founded and led the Taliban as supreme leader from its inception. The movement drew heavily from Pashtun ethnic groups and students educated in Pakistani religious schools.

Pakistan's intelligence services (ISI) provided significant support to the Taliban throughout their rise to power. The organization also developed close ties with al-Qaeda and other militant groups during their 1996–2001 rule.

Timeline

From 2013

What happened

The Taliban, officially known as the Islamic Movement of Taliban, also referring to itself by the name of the government it operates, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the ruling government and religious organization of Afghanistan, as well as a militant organization with an ideology comprising elements of the Deobandi movement of Islamic fundamentalism and Pashtun nationalism. It is defacto the sole legal political force in the country,