Leslie Massey
Afghanistan has been plagued by military issues for decades. The country has been a site of conflict between the Taliban, the US, and NATO-backed Afghan government forces. The Taliban, a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist group, previously controlled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. In October 2001, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, US and allied forces invaded the country and ousted the Taliban regime. Despite this, the Taliban continued to wage an insurgency against the Western-backed government and international coalition troops.
In recent years, the US-led coalition formally ended its combat mission, handing over security responsibilities to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). However, the ANDSF faced significant challenges in maintaining control, and the Taliban continued to launch attacks and make territorial gains. In 2020, the US and the Taliban signed a peace deal, agreeing to a timeline for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Despite this, violence continued, and the Taliban made further territorial gains.
In 2021, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, leading to a mass exodus of Afghan and foreign nationals. The country now faces a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis, with millions facing severe food insecurity and malnutrition. The Taliban has imposed restrictive policies, particularly targeting women and girls, and limiting access to education, employment, and freedom of movement. Additionally, the Taliban has carried out arbitrary detentions, torture, and summary executions of former security officers and perceived enemies. The country's economic collapse has been exacerbated by cutoffs in donor assistance, liquidity crises, and rising food and fuel prices.
The future of Afghanistan remains uncertain, and it is unclear if the Taliban will be able to consolidate power and address the ongoing economic and humanitarian crises.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for NATO's involvement in Afghanistan | To ensure that Afghanistan would not become a safe haven for international terrorists to attack NATO member countries |
| NATO's role in Afghanistan | To create the conditions whereby the Afghan government could exercise its authority throughout the country and build the capacity of the Afghan national security forces |
| Result of NATO's efforts | No terrorist attacks on Allied soil from Afghanistan over the last two decades |
| US-led coalition's combat mission in Afghanistan | Ended in 2014 |
| Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) | Put in charge of Afghanistan's security in 2014 |
| Taliban's activities | Attacking rural districts, carrying out suicide attacks in major cities, making territorial gains, targeting civilians, targeting ethnic and religious minority groups, targeting women, targeting people linked to the previous government |
| US-Taliban agreement | The US pledged to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban's pledge to prevent territory under its control from being used by terrorist groups and to enter negotiations with the Afghan government |
| Result of the US-Taliban agreement | No official ceasefire; the Taliban quickly resumed attacks on Afghan security forces and civilians |
| US withdrawal from Afghanistan | Completed in 2021 |
| Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan | Completed in August 2021 |
| Result of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan | Rollback of women's rights and media freedom, human rights and humanitarian crisis, economic collapse, food insecurity, malnutrition, civilian casualties |
What You'll Learn
The Taliban's relationship with foreign militants
The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group that emerged in the early 1990s and ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. The group was ousted by U.S. troops in 2001 but regained control of the country in 2021 after waging a twenty-year insurgency.
The Taliban has maintained close ties with al-Qaeda, and analysts are concerned that the Taliban could provide safe haven and allow it to launch international terrorist attacks. In August 2022, a U.S. drone strike killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, raising further concerns about the Taliban's relationship with foreign militants.
In addition to al-Qaeda, the Taliban has also been linked to other foreign militant groups, including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Haqqani Network. The Taliban has also been accused of providing support to the Pakistani Taliban, a separate organization that has sought to implement Sharia law in Pakistan.
Overall, the Taliban's relationship with foreign militants, particularly al-Qaeda, remains a significant concern for the international community and has been a source of tension with neighbouring countries. The Taliban's ability to maintain control over Afghanistan and prevent the use of its territory for terrorist attacks will be a key factor in determining the group's relationship with the international community.
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The Taliban's treatment of civilians
The Taliban's rule has been particularly harsh for Afghan women and girls. The group has imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law, despite pledges to respect the rights of women and religious and ethnic minority communities. Taliban restrictions against women and girls are widespread, institutionally sanctioned, and systematic in Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan. Girls are formally prohibited from attending school beyond primary school, and women are prohibited, with very few exceptions, from working outside the home. They are also forbidden to leave their homes without a male relative and must be accompanied by a male chaperone if travelling more than 72km. The Taliban has also banned women from appearing in public without covering their faces and from participating in sports activities or visiting public parks.
The Taliban has also harassed and intimidated journalists and restricted press freedoms, leading to the closure of more than 200 news organizations. They have violently cracked down on demonstrations and protesters, and activists have been monitored and forcibly disappeared. The Taliban has also re-established its Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which enforces prohibitions on behaviour deemed un-Islamic.
The Taliban has put the Afghan civilian population in danger by deliberately hiding their soldiers and equipment in civilian areas, including in mosques. They have also conscripted young men and boys, with some refugees citing forced conscription as their reason for fleeing Afghanistan.
The Taliban has been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture and other ill-treatment of civilians. They have also been accused of conducting extrajudicial killings and enforcing public executions and corporal punishment such as stoning and flogging.
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The Taliban's relationship with the US
The US supported the Mujahideen in the 1980s during the Soviet-Afghan War, which eventually led to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1989. The US continued to support the Mujahideen-led government that took power in 1992. However, the Taliban, a group of predominantly Pashtun, Islamic fundamentalists, rose to power in the subsequent years, and the US supported military action against them.
The relationship between the US and the Taliban further deteriorated after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which were orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, who was residing in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban. This led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, resulting in the overthrow of the Taliban government. The US also launched Operation Infinite Reach, targeting Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
The US continued to support the new Afghan government and provided billions of dollars for reconstruction and development. However, the Taliban remained a significant force in Afghanistan, and the US maintained a military presence in the country to combat the Taliban insurgency. The US and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in 2020, which included commitments from the Taliban to prevent any group or individual from using Afghan soil to threaten US security. This agreement eventually led to the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
Despite the peace agreement, tensions between the US and the Taliban persist, and the US has not recognized the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan. The Taliban's return to power has raised concerns among US officials and analysts about a potential safe haven for terrorists and a rollback of human rights, particularly for women. The Taliban's harsh interpretation of Islamic law and their crackdown on women's rights have been widely criticized.
The US has shifted to a position of pragmatic engagement with Afghanistan and continues to engage with the Taliban to ensure they abide by their commitments under the peace agreement. The US has also provided humanitarian aid and targeted assistance to meet basic human needs and prevent an economic collapse in Afghanistan. However, the relationship remains complex and fraught with challenges.
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The Taliban's relationship with the Afghan government
In the years leading up to the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, the Taliban provided a safe haven for al-Qaeda, allowing them to recruit, train, and deploy terrorists to other countries. This led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, which quickly toppled the Taliban regime.
Following their ouster, the Taliban regrouped across the border in Pakistan and began taking back territory. By August 2021, the Taliban had retaken control of Afghanistan as US and NATO forces withdrew from the country. The Taliban's rapid advance stunned foreign forces and the Afghan military, leading to the collapse of the Afghan government and a mass exodus of Western-backed Afghan government leaders and civilians.
The Taliban's return to power has been marked by a rollback of human rights, particularly for women and girls. The Taliban have restricted women's access to education and employment, limited their freedom of movement, and enforced strict dress codes. They have also cracked down on freedom of expression, targeting journalists and critics of their regime.
The Taliban's harsh rule has led to a deteriorating humanitarian crisis and economic upheaval in Afghanistan. Millions of Afghans are facing food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty. The Taliban's policies have disproportionately affected women and girls, pushing them out of the workplace and restricting their access to education, healthcare, and financial resources.
The Taliban have also struggled to transition their ranks into formal roles of state security forces and have faced challenges in managing urban areas and regions home to non-Pashtun ethnic communities. They have responded to perceived threats from other armed groups, including the Islamic State, with overwhelming force and extrajudicial killings.
The Taliban's relationship with the international community, including the US and NATO, has been strained due to concerns over human rights abuses, particularly against women and minorities. No country has formally recognized the Taliban government, and the US and its allies have frozen billions of dollars in Afghan assets held abroad.
The future of Afghanistan remains uncertain. While the Taliban have consolidated their control over most of the country, they continue to face resistance from armed groups and civil society organizations. The economic and humanitarian crises are expected to worsen, and the Taliban's hardline policies are unlikely to change in the short term.
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The Taliban's relationship with other anti-Taliban groups
The Taliban has had a complex relationship with other anti-Taliban groups, including the Northern Alliance, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP).
The Northern Alliance was the main military and political opponent of the Taliban during its first rule from 1996 to 2001. The Northern Alliance was led by Ahmad Shah Massoud and included ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks, whereas the Taliban was predominantly Pashtun. The Northern Alliance maintained Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations, and the two groups had ethnic tensions.
The TTP is a Pakistani militant group that has historically been involved in the Kashmir insurgency and has ties with Pakistani Kashmir-based militant groups. The TTP is not affiliated with the Afghan Taliban, but the two groups share a name and ideology. The TTP has pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban, and the Afghan Taliban released hundreds of TTP militants from Afghan prisons after taking power in 2021.
The ISKP is a rival of the Taliban, and the Taliban has sought to eliminate the ISKP's presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban has used violent methods to eliminate ISKP members, and the ISKP has engaged in numerous terrorist attacks against Afghans.
The Taliban has also had relationships with several other militant groups, including al-Qaeda, the Haqqani network, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
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Frequently asked questions
The US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan to end America's longest war and to focus on more imminent national security threats. The US had already achieved its primary objectives in the country, which were to eliminate al-Qaeda and deny terrorist groups a safe haven.
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the Taliban regaining control of the country, resulting in a refugee crisis as many Afghans fled. It also raised concerns about Afghanistan becoming a safe haven for terrorists. Additionally, the withdrawal highlighted the challenges of nation-building and counterinsurgency in a complex social, economic, and political environment.
The Taliban is facing at least two small insurgencies: one led by the Islamic State's local branch and the other comprising the National Resistance Front (NRF) and other groups aligned with the former government. The Taliban is also struggling to adapt to their new role in policing urban areas and parts of the north where they are unpopular. Furthermore, the presence of foreign militant groups, such as al-Qaeda, remains a security concern.
