The Taliban were founded in 1994 in order to impose a puritanical Islamic order on Afghanistan. A 2018 estimate by Afghan and U.S. officials gauged that the Taliban included at least 60,000 fighters.These numbers have allowed the Taliban to remain a credible fighting force with the ability to win and hold territory. According to an October 2018 report, the Taliban controlled more territory in Afghanistan than it had since 2001, up to 45% of the country. The Taliban have operated as an insurgent force, attempting to expel NATO forces from Afghanistan and defeat the democratically elected Afghan government. As Western forces have begun to withdraw from the country in recent years and government authority has weakened, Taliban forces have filled the vacuum.
Reported deputy emir; head of the Quetta Shura; interior minister of the Taliban government
Operational commander
Afghanistan—officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan—has a tumultuous history of uprisings against the government, guerilla warfare, and foreign occupation dating back to the 19th century, and now faces violent insurgencies by the Taliban and ISIS.
The Taliban are the predominant umbrella group for the Afghan insurgency, and remain a credible fighting force with the ability to win and hold territory.
Al-Qaeda, founded by Osama bin Laden in 1988 with the goal of waging global jihad, has long pledged allegiance to the Taliban.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the movement claimed it would take on a more moderate and inclusive approach in their ruling of the country.
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On May 8, 2019, Taliban insurgents detonated an explosive-laden vehicle and then broke into American NGO Counterpart International’s offices in Kabul. At least seven people were killed and 24 were injured.
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