Introduction
The Taliban is a violent Islamist group that started in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. The group can be traced back to the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s, when many Afghans were trained and given money by other countries to fight against the government that the Soviet Union supported. After the Soviet Union left Afghanistan, the country fell into a civil war, and by the mid-1990s, the Taliban had become the most powerful group (Taliban, 2022). Later, the group took over Kabul and set up a harsh government that followed a strict version of Islamic law.
Policymakers, scholars, and the general public must know more about the Taliban’s beliefs and deeds. The group’s views and methods have had a big effect on Afghanistan and the surrounding area, and the Taliban’s rise to power in the past few years has worried many countries (Taliban, 2022). The Taliban’s ideas come from an extreme view of Islam that stresses strict obedience to Sharia law and creating an Islamic state. As well as more traditional forms of war, the group has used suicide bombings, murders, and strikes on people.
This paper tries to give a full picture of the Taliban, including its past, ideas, and deeds. In the following parts, we will talk about how the group came to power, what it did while it was in charge, and why it lost power in 2001. The paper will also look at how the Taliban have come back in recent years, what part they play in the current war in Afghanistan, and how they relate to other terrorist groups in the area. This paper sheds light on one of the most important and complicated problems facing lawmakers and students today by giving a detailed look at the past and the views of the Taliban.
Historical Background
When the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban grew into a political and military power that would go on to rule the country. The group’s background goes back to religious schools in Pakistan called madrasas (Quilty, 2021). Afghan refugees were taught the strict Deobandi school of Islam in these places. This school is known for its strict understanding of Islam. This idea emphasized the use of Sharia law and the rejection of ideas from the West. It was the intellectual foundation for the rise of the Taliban to power.
The Taliban started their uprising with the goal of taking over Afghanistan. At the time, Afghanistan was in the middle of a long civil war and was run by many leaders. The Taliban quickly took over the southern parts of Kandahar and Helmand because they were known for being honest and organized and because they were good at using guerrilla tactics (Quilty, 2021). Mullah Mohammed Omar, a former mujahideen fighter with one eye who was blind in the other, was in charge of the Taliban.
By 1996, the Taliban had taken over Kabul, the country’s capital, and Mullah Omar had called himself “Commander of the Faithful,” a term that had not been used since the days of the Islamic empire. From 1996 to 2001, when the Taliban were in charge, they followed a strict version of Sharia law, including public floggings, amputations, and killings of anyone who did not follow the rules (Council on Foreign Relations, n.d.). Women were supposed to cover their heads with a veil in public, and they were not allowed to work or go to school outside the home. According to the Council on Foreign Relations (n.d.), the Taliban were responsible for destroying many of Afghanistan’s cultural heritages. These included the famous Buddha figures of Bamiyan, which had been blown up by the dynamite.
During the Taliban’s rule, there were also a lot of serious violations of human rights, like the use of child troops, forced work, and the organized killing of people from ethnic communities. The Hazara, who are Shiite Muslims, were treated very badly by the Taliban. In 1998, when the Taliban took over the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, they started a slaughter against the local Hazara people, which killed as many as 5,000 people (Quilty, 2021). The ties between the Taliban and al-Qaeda go back to the 1990s, when Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda members were kicked out of Sudan and found refuge in Afghanistan. This was the first time the two groups agreed to work together.
Bin Laden helped pay for anti-Soviet mujahideen, where he saw the rise of the Taliban as a chance to build a base for his worldwide war. In exchange for bin Laden’s money and his knowledge of underground fighting, the Taliban gave him a safe place to live, training camps, and help with logistics. Osama Bin Laden also had training camps set up by the Taliban. The terrible things that happened on September 11, 2001, changed the course of history for the Taliban (Quilty, 2021). After the attacks in New York and Washington, the U.S. clarified to the Taliban that they had to turn over Osama bin Laden and the other al-Qaeda leaders.
When the Taliban refused to talk, the U.S. started a military attack on Afghanistan, backed by a group of NATO countries. When the Taliban were quickly defeated, Mullah Omar had to leave, and he did so in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the group kept fighting against the alliance led by the United States, and by 2006, they had taken back control of a lot of the southern part of Afghanistan (Quilty, 2021). Even now, the fight between the Taliban and the alliance led by the United States is still going on. The Taliban still rule a big part of rural Afghanistan, and the United States and its partners are still there.
Current Situation
In recent years, the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan has been marked by their steady gains in territory and their plan to take over the country in 2021. This is the year that the Taliban will take over the country (NCTC, n.d.). The group has been able to make money because of the problems with the Afghan government and security forces, as well as the support of some people who are upset with the government for being dishonest and incompetent.
Since 2014, the Taliban have slowly increased their presence in rural areas. They often take control of these areas by scaring people and using violence. According to Hollingsworth (2021), by the year 2021, they were able to take control of most of the country’s key towns and military sites. This led to the government being overthrown and the Taliban returning to power.
Violence and lies have been a big part of the Taliban’s political and military tactics. In their attacks, they often go after harmless people, especially women and people from underrepresented groups, as well as government workers and security personnel. They have also used lies to control how people talk about what they have done. For example, they have tried to show that they protect Islam and the Afghan people from foreign attackers and crooked government officials (Hollingsworth, 2021). Because they are so good at social media and use many local media outlets, these lies have been spread everywhere.
How people worldwide have reacted to the Taliban taking over has been very different. Several countries have said that they do not like what the Taliban are doing and worry about Afghan citizens’ safety, especially women and people from minority groups. Several countries have shown that they are willing to help Afghan refugees who want to live in their countries (Ruttig, 2021). Even so, the process of getting foreigners and Afghan friends out of the country has been slowed by problems with operations and paperwork, and a lot of people still cannot leave the country. According to Ruttig (2021), the Taliban have also been attacked for how they treat Afghans who want to leave the country and how they treat relief goods.
Along with Afghanistan’s political and military situation, the Taliban’s relationships with regional and foreign players have also played a big role in how things have turned out. In the past, the Taliban had close ties with Pakistan. Pakistan is thought to be giving both military and monetary help to the Taliban (Naghavi et al., 2022).
The group has also been linked to al-Qaeda, and the fact that it has returned to power has made people worry that foreign terrorism will start again. Over the last few years, the United States and its partners have been talking to the Taliban to reach a peace deal allowing foreign troops to leave Afghanistan and a political solution to be put in place there (Mottet, 2020). The fall of the Afghan government, on the other hand, has confused these plans, and the country’s future is still unknown.
Afghanistan is in a complicated and multifaceted situation right now due to increased levels of unrest. The rise of the Taliban and their rule of the country are causing major problems for regional and global security. In general, things are hard and complex in Afghanistan.
The organization’s political and military tactics and how they work with other regional and global players will likely continue to affect the situation in Afghanistan soon (Mottet, 2020). The international community will have to work together to find a long-term solution for peace and security in the area. They will also have to work together to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and help people who have fled there.
Ideology and Governance
The Taliban’s ideas come from a strict understanding of Sunni Islam, and they emphasize Pashtun pride. Both of these ideas go together. The Taliban follows an extreme version of Islam that puts much importance on following Islamic law (Sharia) in its strictest form. They believe this is the only way to ensure real justice and safety (Sakhi, 2022). Because of this strict view of Islam, the Taliban enforces strict rules of behavior on the whole population, especially the women, who must wear burqas and cannot leave their homes without a male relative.
The manner in which the Taliban treated women has caused much debate because, under their rule, women are not allowed to run for public office, get an education, or work outside the home. If a woman breaks these rules, she could face harsh fines like being whipped in public or even being put to death (Sakhi, 2022). People have also complained about how the Taliban have handled ethnic groups, especially the Hazara people and other Shia Muslims. The Taliban have killed people from these groups and done cruel things to them.
Regarding how the government is set up, the goal of the Taliban is to make Afghanistan an Islamic state ruled by Islamic law. During their first time in power, from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban set up a strict system of government based on their understanding of Islamic law. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they often used quick killings, amputations, and public floggings in their court system (Sakhi, 2022). The Taliban severely limited freedom of speech, the press, and the internet. Also, they were the ones who made music and other forms of entertainment illegal.
The Taliban’s plan for running the country is likely to run into a lot of problems, especially because the country has a lot of different kinds of people and a complicated government system. The Taliban have not given a full plan for running the government yet, and it is unclear how they plan to deal with the country’s many religious and racial communities (Sakhi, 2022). Also, the Taliban’s use of violence and control has made many Afghans worry about their safety and security. This may make it hard for the Taliban to set up a peaceful government.
Even with all these problems, the Taliban have shown a strong ability to change and adapt and have already taken steps to show a more reasonable side. Over the last few months, the Taliban have worked hard to show they are tolerant and open-minded, especially toward women and other minority groups (Furlan, 2020). For example, the Taliban have said that they would let women go to school and work and promised to protect the rights of ethnic and religious communities. The Taliban have also said that women will be allowed to drive. It is still too early to tell if these promises will be kept, but they suggest that the Taliban know they need to show a more reasonable side to win the support of the Afghan people and the rest of the world.
The Taliban’s beliefs are based on a strict reading of Sunni Islam and Pashtun pride. Also, the Taliban’s idea of how to run the government is to turn Afghanistan into an Islamic state. However, the Taliban have had numerous problems in the past, especially when they were in power from 1996 to 2001 (Furlan, 2020). They have shown an amazing ability to adjust and move forward and have already tried to build a more reasonable image (Furlan, 2020). According to Furlan (2020), as the rest of the world looks to see how the Taliban will run Afghanistan in the coming months and years, it is likely that their treatment of women and minorities, as well as how they run the country, will be closely watched. This is because the rest of the world wants to see how the Taliban run Afghanistan.
Regional and Global Implications
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has had major effects on the political and social security of the country and the area around it. It is not clear how the Taliban will run the country now that they have power, and it is not clear if they will be able to keep the country secure. In Afghanistan, which has a long history of war and unrest, putting the Taliban back in power could lead to a new round of conflict and instability (Hussain, 2020). Also, if the Taliban come to power, it could make other extremist groups in the area feel better, leading to more violence and instability.
The international community is working together to keep a close eye on what is going on in Afghanistan, especially if there is a chance that terrorist behavior will get worse. It is unclear if the Taliban will keep giving terrorist groups like al-Qaeda a safe place to stay, as they have in the past (Hussain, 2020). But this is what the Taliban have always done. There is a good chance that the United States and its partners will keep a close eye on the situation and may decide to do something to stop terrorist groups from coming back to the area.
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has also had major effects on how countries get along. People thought it was a big mistake for the United States to leave Afghanistan, especially since the country had been there for a long time before leaving (Hussain, 2020). Many people have said that the United States’ choice to pull out of the deal was made too soon, and this has hurt the country’s reputation as a world leader.
Also, the Taliban coming back as a political force could have big effects on how anti-terrorist actions are done in the future. The United States has put much money into fighting terrorism in the area, and it is possible that these efforts could be hurt if the Taliban took over again (Faheem & Khan, 2022). The United States and its partners will have to carefully think about how to respond to the Taliban’s return to power. New ways need to be enacted to deal with the possible threat of terrorism in the area (Faheem & Khan, 2022). Both of these things will have to be done at the same time.
Putting the Taliban back in power has big effects on the peace and security of Afghanistan and the area around it. No one knows how the Taliban would run the country, let alone if they will be able to keep it secure. The international community will have to keep a close eye on the situation and come up with plans to stop terrorist acts from happening in the area.
Conclusion
This study has offered a thorough introduction to the Taliban, including their origins, present state, philosophy, government, and regional and worldwide impact. It has been addressed how the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, how they strictly apply Sharia law, how they violate human rights, and how they are affiliated with al-Qaeda. The revival of the Taliban in recent years, its political and military strategies, and the international reaction to their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 have also been discussed.
The Daily has also covered the theological and political beliefs of the Taliban and its stances on human rights and government. Finally, the ramifications of the Taliban’s takeover on international relations and the stability of Afghanistan and the region have been discussed. The overall impact of the Taliban’s activities has been significant and remains a menace to international stability. More investigation into this situation is needed, as is implementing effective solutions.
References
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