Taliban

Taliban is an Islamist political and military movement that emerged in Afghanistan in the early 1990s among Pashtun students of Deobandi religious schools in southern Afghanistan, notably Kandahar. Led by Mullah Mohammad Omar, the group expanded to seize Kabul by 1996 and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Its rule was marked by a strict, conservative interpretation of Sharia, including bans on music and television, restrictions on women’s public life, and public punishments. The Taliban were recognized as the government by a few states but not by most of the international community, and they provided sanctuary to al-Qaeda leaders, which contributed to global condemnation after the September 11 attacks.

After the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, the Taliban were ousted from most of Afghanistan but continued an insurgency against the Afghan government and foreign forces from bases along the Pakistan border and other areas. They remained a potent force through the 2000s and 2010s, led by various figures such as Mullah Akhtar Mansoor and later Hibatullah Akhundzada, with the Quetta Shura serving as an internal leadership council and the Haqqani network playing a major operational role.

In 2020, the Taliban signed the Doha Agreement with the United States, and in August 2021 they regained control of Kabul, re-establishing the Islamic Emirate as the governing authority in Afghanistan. The regime is not widely recognized internationally and faces ongoing humanitarian, economic, and security challenges, as well as significant human rights concerns, particularly regarding women’s rights and civil liberties.