The Enduring Taliban Rule In Afghanistan: A Complex History

The Taliban, an ultraconservative political and religious faction, has ruled Afghanistan twice. The first stint of their rule began in 1996 and lasted until 2001. They returned to power in 2021 after waging a twenty-year insurgency.

The Taliban emerged in the aftermath of the Afghan War (1978-92). Afghanistan's new government failed to establish civil order outside of Kabul, and much of the country was subject to frequent extortion and assault from local militias and warlords. The Taliban began as a small force of Afghan religious students and scholars seeking to confront crime and corruption. The faction owes its name, Taliban (Pashto: Ṭālebān, Students), to this initial membership.

By late 1996, the Taliban had seized the capital, Kabul, and gained effective control over some two-thirds of the country. They combined a strict religious ideology—a mixture of Deobandi traditionalism and Wahhābī puritanism—with a conservative Pashtun social code (Pashtunwali) to create a brutally repressive regime. Their policies included the near-total exclusion of women from public life, the systematic destruction of non-Islamic artistic relics, and the implementation of harsh criminal punishments.

The Taliban's first regime ended in 2001 when the United States and its allies began bombarding Afghanistan. This was in response to the Taliban providing refuge to Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001. In early December, the Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban factions, succeeded in toppling the Taliban regime.

Despite being driven from power and fractured, the Taliban survived and waged a twenty-year insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul. In August 2021, the Taliban swept back into power as the United States withdrew its remaining troops from Afghanistan.

The Taliban's treatment of women and girls

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, they have imposed a series of restrictions on women and girls, severely limiting their rights and freedoms.

The Taliban have banned girls from attending school past the sixth grade and barred women from working in most sectors. Women are banned from travelling long distances without a male chaperone and are required to cover their faces in public. They are also prohibited from working as lawyers, judges, or in other positions in the justice system. The Taliban have also banned women from participating in sports or going to gyms, and from visiting public parks, baths, and historic sites.

The Taliban's restrictions have had a devastating impact on the lives of Afghan women and girls, limiting their access to education, healthcare, employment, and public life. Women have reported feelings of insecurity, isolation, and acute mental health issues. Human rights organisations have described the Taliban's treatment of women and girls as "gender apartheid" and a "crime against humanity".

The Taliban's relationship with al-Qaeda

The Taliban and al-Qaeda have a long history together, dating back to the 1980s when the Taliban first emerged in northern Pakistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The Taliban's promise to prevent al-Qaeda and other militants from operating in areas that they controlled was a key part of the deal they struck with the US in 2020. However, there are concerns that the Taliban will fail to uphold this agreement, and there are reports that the two groups remain closely linked.

The Taliban and al-Qaeda have a shared ideology, and al-Qaeda sees the Taliban as an important partner in its stewardship of global jihad. Al-Qaeda's leader has pledged allegiance to the leader of the Taliban, and the groups have also formed familial ties over the years, with members of al-Qaeda marrying into Pashtun tribes in Taliban-controlled areas. The Taliban has also provided shelter, food and money to al-Qaeda, and al-Qaeda militants have fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan.

However, the Taliban has publicly denied that it has any relationship with al-Qaeda, and has insisted that there are no foreign fighters in Afghanistan. The Taliban has also taken steps to conceal and downplay its relationship with al-Qaeda, and some analysts believe that the group will curtail its relationship with al-Qaeda if it chooses to.

The Taliban's impact on Afghanistan's economy

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, and within a year, the economy had shrunk by up to 30%. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) reported in October 2022 that almost all Afghans were living in poverty, with more than 90% suffering from some form of food insecurity.

The Taliban's harsh rule has been marked by crackdowns on women's rights and a neglect of basic services. Most women have been banned from working, and girls have been prohibited from attending secondary school and university. The UNDP estimates that restricting women's employment could cost up to 5% of Afghanistan's GDP.

The Taliban's takeover has also wiped out gains in Afghans' standards of living that were made in the two decades following the US invasion in 2001. The country's healthcare system remains dependent on international aid and is fragile due to a lack of infrastructure and resources.

Foreign trade with Afghanistan has fallen since the Taliban takeover. The country's revenue in 2022 came primarily from taxes at border crossings, and coal exports to Pakistan. The Taliban government's proposed budget for 2022 was $2.6 billion, a significant decrease from the previous government's budget of around $6 billion in 2021.

The Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, has also negatively impacted the economy. Their policies have included the banning of music, television, and cinema, as well as the disapproval of girls aged 10 and over going to school.

The Taliban's rule has also been marked by violence and human rights violations. The UN mission in Afghanistan has documented numerous human rights violations, including the intimidation of journalists, restriction of press freedoms, violent crackdowns on demonstrations, and the reestablishment of their Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The Taliban's human rights violations

The Taliban have committed a range of human rights violations since their return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Here are some examples:

Violence and restrictions against women and girls

The Taliban have imposed a series of repressive rules and policies that violate the fundamental rights of women and girls. They have restricted their freedom of movement, right to work and education, and access to healthcare. Women have been banned from most jobs in the public sector, from travelling without a male chaperone, and from appearing in public without covering their bodies. The Taliban have also forcibly closed beauty salons, banned women from participating in sports, and prevented girls from receiving an education beyond primary school. These restrictions have had a devastating impact on women and girls, causing widespread depression and even leading to suicides.

Violence against journalists and restrictions on freedom of expression

The Taliban have intimidated journalists and restricted press freedoms, leading to the closure of hundreds of news organisations. They have used force against protesters and journalists, including arbitrary detention, harassment, and violence. More than 80% of women journalists stopped working between August 2021 and August 2023.

Violence against human rights defenders

Activists, human rights defenders, and members of civil society have faced violence, intimidation, and surveillance. Many have been subjected to arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and unlawful detention.

Violence against ethnic and religious minorities

Ethnic groups, including religious minorities, have faced increasing marginalization, prejudice, and forced evictions. The Taliban have settled disputes in favour of Pashtun communities and forced local Hazara communities to pay compensation. There have been reports of beatings, destruction of property, and killings of Hazaras. Religious minorities have faced marginalization, prejudice, discrimination, and restrictions on religious events and celebrations.

Extrajudicial killings, torture, and other ill-treatment

The Taliban have carried out arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, and summary executions of former security officers, critics of Taliban rule, and those perceived as enemies. They have also committed revenge killings and enforced disappearances of former government officials and security force personnel.

Death penalty and public executions

The Taliban have continued to carry out public executions and corporal punishment, such as stoning and flogging.

LGBTQ+ rights violations

Consensual same-sex relations remain illegal and punishable by death in Afghanistan. The Taliban have committed a range of human rights violations against LGBTQ+ people, including discrimination, targeted violence, threats, and arbitrary detention.

The Taliban's treatment of ethnic minorities

The Taliban's first regime (1996-2001) was marked by the brutal treatment of these minority groups. In 1998, for example, the Taliban massacred over 5,000 Hazara and Shiite minority members in Mazar-e-Sharif. The Taliban also enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia law, which included harsh discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities.

Since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, there have been reports of extrajudicial killings of minority groups, with the Taliban killing members of minority groups, particularly Hazaras and Tajiks, on a daily basis. The Taliban have also excluded women from all public roles and restricted girls' education beyond grade six.

The Taliban's persecution of ethnic minorities has been enabled by the support of conservative groups such as Hezb-ut-Tahrir and Jamiyat-e-Eslah, as well as warlords and religious actors. The Taliban's rule has also been characterized by lawlessness, with the absence of a legal protection framework and protection structures, which has further endangered the safety and security of vulnerable groups.

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