Taliban

Taliban
Taliban
طالبان (ṭālibān)
	Flag of the Taliban, also used as the flag of Afghanistan
Founders	Mohammed Omar #; Abdul Ghani Baradar;
Supreme leaders	Mohammed Omar # (1994–2013); Akhtar Mansour X (2015–2016); Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present);
Governing body	Leadership Council
Dates of operation	1994–1996 (militia); 1996–2001 (1st government); 2002–2021 (insurgency); 2021–present (2nd government);
Group(s)	Primarily Pashtuns;[1][2] minority Tajiks, and Uzbeks[3][4]
Headquarters	Kandahar (1994–2001; 2021–present)
Active regions	Afghanistan
Ideology	Deobandi jihadism[5][6][7][8]; Islamic fundamentalism[9][6][10][11][12][13]; Religious nationalism[14]; Afghan nationalism[15]; Pashtun interests[16][17]; Pashtunwali[5][18][19][20]; Political Islam;
Size	Core strength - 45,000 (2001 est.)[21]; 11,000 (2008 est.)[22]; 36,000 (2010 est.)[23]; 60,000 (2014 est.)[24]; 60,000[25] (2017 est. excluding 90,000 local militia and 50,000 support elements); 75,000 (2021 est.)[26][27][28];
Allies	Subgroups Haqqani network (since 1995); Jamaat al-Dawah ila al-Quran wal-Sunnah (since 2010); State allies China; (alleged by the US, but denied by China)[29]; Iran; (alleged, but denied by Iran)[30][31][32][33]; Pakistan[34][35][11][36][37]; Qatar; (alleged by Saudi Arabia, but denied by Qatar)[38][39]; Russia; (alleged, but denied by Russia)[40][41][42]; Saudi Arabia; (alleged, but denied by Saudi Arabia)[43][39]; Turkmenistan; (until 2001)[44]; United Arab Emirates; (until 2001)[45]; United States; (limited support in the Islamic State-Taliban conflict)[46][47][48][49]; Non-state allies Al-Qaeda[50] (currently denied by Taliban); Lashkar-e-Taiba[51]; Jaish-e-Mohammed[51]; Pakistani Taliban[52][53] (denied by Taliban)[54]; Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin[55] (denied from 2016–2021,[56] openly since 2021)[57]; Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (anti-ISIL faction)[58][59];
Opponents	State and intergovernmental opponents Islamic State of Afghanistan (1994-2002); Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (2002-2004); Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021)[60]; NATO (2001–2021)[61]; Non-state opponents National Resistance Front of Afghanistan; Islamic State – Khorasan Province[62][63][64]; Afghanistan Freedom Front; Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (ISIL allied faction)[65]; High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (HCIEA) (2015-2021)[66]; Fidai Mahaz;
Battles and wars	Afghan Civil War (1992–1996); Tajikistani Civil War (1992–1997)[67]; Afghan Civil War (1996–2001); War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Taliban insurgency; 2021 Taliban offensive; ; Islamic State–Taliban conflict;
Designated as a terrorist group by	Canada[68]; Kazakhstan[69]; Kyrgyzstan[70]; Russia[71]; Tajikistan[72]; Turkey[73]; United Arab Emirates[74][75]
Website	alemarahenglish.af
	Preceded by; Students of Darul Uloom Haqqania[76][77][78] and Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia[79][80]

The Taliban (/ˈtælɪbæn, ˈtɑːlɪbɑːn/; Pashto: طالبان, romanized: ṭālibān, lit. 'students' or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,[81][82][lower-alpha 1] is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist and Pashtun nationalist[85][17] militant political movement in Afghanistan.[86][9][10] It ruled approximately three-quarters of the country from 1996 to 2001, before being overthrown following the United States invasion. It recaptured Kabul on 15 August 2021 after nearly 20 years of insurgency, and currently controls all of the country, although its government has not yet been recognized by any country. The Taliban government has been criticized for restricting human rights in Afghanistan, including the right of women and girls to work and to have an education.[87]

Quick facts: Taliban, Founders, Supreme leaders, Governing... ▼

The Taliban emerged in September 1994 as one of the prominent factions in the Afghan Civil War and largely consisted of students (ṭālib) from the Pashtun areas of eastern and southern Afghanistan who had been educated in traditional Islamic schools (madāris). Under the leadership of Mullah Omar (r. 1996–2001), the movement spread throughout most of Afghanistan, shifting power away from the Mujahideen warlords. In 1996, the group administered roughly three-quarters of the country, and established the First Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban's government was opposed by the Northern Alliance militia, which seized parts of northeast Afghanistan and largely maintained international recognition as a continuation of the interim Islamic State of Afghanistan. The Taliban held control of most of the country until being overthrown after the United States invasion of Afghanistan in December 2001. Many members of the Taliban fled to neighboring Pakistan.

After being overthrown, the Taliban launched an insurgency to fight the United States–backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the NATO–led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the War in Afghanistan. In May 2002, exiled members formed the Council of Leaders (Rahbarī Shūrā) based in the city of Quetta in Pakistan. They established a political office in Qatar in 2012. Under Hìbatullah Akhundzada's leadership, in May 2021, the Taliban launched a military offensive, that culminated in the Fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021 and the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan. The Islamic Republic was dissolved and the Islamic Emirate was reestablished.

During their rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law,[88] and were widely condemned for massacres against Afghan civilians, harsh discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities, denial of UN food supplies to starving civilians, destruction of cultural monuments, banning women from school and most employment, and prohibition of most music. Following their return to power in 2021, the Afghanistan government budget lost 80% of its funding and food insecurity became widespread, while all foreign nations refused to recognize the Taliban's regime.[89] The Taliban returned Afghanistan to many policies implemented under its previous rule, including banning women from holding almost any jobs, requiring women to wear head-to-toe coverings such as the burqa, blocking women from travelling without male guardians, and banning all education for girls.[90][91][92]

Taliban

Islamist organization in Afghanistan (founded 1994) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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