Origins of the Taliban

The Taliban are back in the spotlight. To understand why and how the Taliban came to power, one must take a look at the circumstances that led up to the formation of the Taliban.

Soviet invasion and Mujahideens

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 24, 1979, the Afghan forces were unable to stop their advance. After toppling the existing government, the Soviets were met with fierce resistance from Islamic mujahideens, funded by the Pakistani ISI. Fearing a Soviet invasion of Pakistan occupied Balochistan, then Pakistani dictator Zia-ul-Haq approached Saudi Arabia to garner support for the mujahideen cause. A while later, the American CIA along with Saudi Arabia’s GID started supplying these mujahideen fighters with funds and weapons siphoned through the ISI.

Mullah Omar and the Taliban

One of the mujahideen leaders receiving these funds was Mullah Mohammed Omar, the founder of the Taliban. The Taliban was founded by Omar as a movement of Pakistani Madrasa educated students from the Pashtun areas of Afghanistan.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Soviet backed Najibullah government in Afghanistan collapsed, which emboldened many mujahideen groups to increase their activity. One of these mujahidden groups was the Taliban, which, in the ensuing power struggle, emerged victorious.

Taliban in Power

The military goal of the Taliban during the period 1995 to 2001 was to re-establish a unified Afghan state with Pashtun dominance within the northern areas. The Taliban sought to establish an Islamic government through law and order alongside a strict interpretation of Sharia law, in accordance with the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence and the religious edicts of Mullah Omar, upon the entire land of Afghanistan. By 1998, the Taliban’s Emirate controlled 90% of Afghanistan.

UN action

Taking note of violation of human rights and terror activities undertaken by the Taliban government, in 2000, the UNSC condemned the use of Taliban territory for training of ‘terrorists’ and the Taliban for providing safe haven to Osama bin Laden. The UNSC levied severe sanctions against Afghanistan under Taliban control. In October 2001, the United States, with allies including the Afghan Northern Alliance, invaded Afghanistan and routed the Taliban regime. The Taliban leadership fled to Pakistan.