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Article Contributor: Emily Glenn, Duke University
Updated: 22 Jan. 2010

Page Outline:

1. Basic Facts
2. What Is Washington Doing?
3. Sources

Basic Facts

• The Taliban was formed in the Afghan province of Kandahar in 1994 by graduates of Pakistani Islamic colleges on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.¹
• The Taliban consists of mostly Pashtuns and veterans of the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Union.² Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and are also very prominent in Pakistan. The crescent-shaped area from eastern Iran across southern Afghanistan to western Pakistan is known as ‘Pashtunistan.’³ Afghanistan and Pakistan have been at odds since Pakistan was founded in 1947 and its border was drawn through ‘Pashtunistan.⁴
• The Taliban’s goal was to overthrow the Afghan government and establish a new government based on a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. This strict interpretation involved beating Afghans in the street who did not conform to rules about hair length or dress and searching homes in order to find offenders of other Taliban decrees.⁵
• The Taliban overthrew the Afghan government and captured Kabul on September 27th, 1996. The Taliban controlled the Pashtun areas of the country while independent organizations controlled the other areas of Afghanistan.⁶
• After the September 11th, 2001 attacks, the Taliban was removed from power by a U.S.-led coalition of forces as a result of the Taliban’s protection of Al-Qaeda terrorists, who were responsible for the attacks.⁷ The Taliban returned to Pakistan and the Afghan countryside.⁸
• After the 2001 coalition removal, the Taliban transformed from a group based upon Islamic fundamentalist ideology to a broader group including criminals and others not concerned with religious ideology.⁹
• The Taliban’s current stronghold is in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan. FATA is an area that the Pakistan government doesn’t really consider its responsibility.¹⁰
• In order to defeat the Taliban, military action must be taken and the Afghan and Pakistani citizens must become disillusioned with the Taliban. This is beginning to happen as the Pakistani military is taking action against the Taliban and the Taliban is starting to target civilians, which is increasing disillusionment.¹¹

What Is Washington Doing?

• H.R.1 – Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007: This bill was passed into law on August 3, 2007. Among many things, it ends military assistance and arms sales to Pakistan in 2008 until Pakistan commits itself to ending Taliban activities on Pakistani soil.¹²
• H.Res.262: This bill was introduced on March 18, 2009. Its intent is to urge Pakistan to act as necessary in order to remove obstacles for female education in Swat, Pakistan, which is controlled by the Taliban.¹³
• The U.S. recently gave $110 million in aid to Pakistan for civilians displaced by Pakistan’s increased efforts to drive out the Taliban.¹⁴

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Sources