What is Taliban, How they became so powerful?

Ground Report | New Delhi: What is Taliban; The Taliban continues to advance in Afghanistan, and after the major cities of Kandahar and Herat, the Taliban have now claimed control of Lashkar Gah. The United States, meanwhile, has warned the Taliban against attacks on troops sent to evacuate US diplomatic staff from Afghanistan.

In 2001, the US-led forces in Afghanistan ousted the Taliban from power. But gradually this group strengthened itself and now once again its dominance is being seen.

Nearly two decades later, the US is preparing to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. At the same time, the control area of ​​Taliban fighters is increasing. Fears have also started emerging that can destabilize the government.

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What is Taliban?

The Taliban, or "students" in the Pashto language, emerged in northern Pakistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the early 1990s. The predominantly Pashtun movement is believed to have first appeared in religious madrassas – mostly paid for by money from Saudi Arabia – that preached a fanatical form of Sunni Islam.

The promise made by the Taliban - in the Pashtun regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan - was to restore peace and security and to enforce its own harsh version of Sharia, or Islamic law, once in power.

ALSO READ: Taliban advance in Afghanistan will boost militants in Kashmir

During this time, their influence increased rapidly in southwest Afghanistan. In September 1995, he occupied Herat province bordering Iran. Just a year later, the Taliban captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

How they became so powerful

The Taliban began to emerge as an effective group in southwestern Afghanistan and in the border areas bordering northern Pakistan. Against the backdrop of that chaos, the Taliban announced that they would fight corruption and end lawlessness in the country. During this period, the majority of Afghans were troubled by the civil war and lawlessness in the country.

Some of them were fighters of the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union. In 1994, the Taliban launched a military operation from the south of Afghanistan. By 1996, the group had captured the Afghan capital Kabul without resistance.

The Taliban soon increased their influence and not only supported Islamic boundaries but also extended them in many areas. The punishments included the public execution of those convicted of murder and adultery and the beheading of those involved in crimes such as theft.

Men were required to have beards and women were required to wear burqas. In Afghanistan, the burqa means covering the entire body, from head to toe, including the face. The Taliban banned television and cinemas in their time and made it unacceptable for girls over the age of ten to go to school.

In this war, 2,300 American soldiers were killed and more than 20,000 wounded, including 450 from Britain and other nations. But the real cost of this war has been paid by the Afghan people. According to some investigations, more than 60,000 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed.

About 111,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded. The number of Afghans killed or injured began to rise when the United Nations began collecting systematic data in 2009.

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