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On Sunday, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan after a few weeks of breathtaking military victories.
The armed group was overthrown in a 2001 US-led invasion following the September 11 attacks on US soil, but it has gradually regained its strength, carrying out numerous attacks against foreign forces and Afghans over the past 20 years.
The Taliban, which means “students” in the Pashtun language, are this time trying to project a more moderate image, but observers in Afghanistan and abroad remain skeptical. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday vowed to protect women’s rights and press freedom at the first press conference since the takeover.
The beginning
Many Taliban leaders before the formation of the armed group in the early 1990s fought alongside the Afghan mujahedin against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
The Mujahedin received weapons and money from the United States as part of their policy against their Cold War enemy.
At the time, the Soviets supported Communist leaders who staged a bloody coup against the country’s first president, Mohammad Daoud Khan, in 1978.
After the Soviets withdrew in 1989 chaos reigned and in 1992 there was a full-fledged civil war with Mujahedin commanders fighting for power and dividing the capital Kabul, which was inundated daily with hundreds of rockets from all over the world. directions.
The Taliban armed group became a major player in the early 1990s. Many of its members had studied in conservative religious schools in Afghanistan and across the border in Pakistan.
They made quick military gains, gaining control of Kandahar, the largest city after Kabul, and promising to secure the cities. After years of war, people have generally received them well, tired of the Mujahedin commanders and their forces who have been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes in their struggle for power.
In 1996, the Taliban seized the capital and hanged the country’s last communist president, Najibullah Ahmadzai, in a public square. He declared Afghanistan an Islamic emirate and began to impose his ultra-strict interpretation of Islamic law.
It has only been recognized by three countries – Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan.
The group managed to bring a semblance of normalcy and set out to tackle endemic corruption, gaining some initial popularity.
But the Taliban never relaxed the restrictions they initially imposed to, he says, ensure that civil war crimes cannot be repeated.
The restrictions included prohibiting women from accessing education and employment, with the exception of female doctors. Anyone who did not obey could be imprisoned or publicly beaten.
His six-year reign was marked by abuse of ethnic and religious minorities and restrictions on seemingly harmless activities and hobbies such as music and television.
Even sports were highly regulated, as male athletes were instructed on what to wear and matches were interrupted during the five daily prayers.
In 1999, the United Nations imposed sanctions on the Taliban for their ties to al-Qaeda, which was blamed for the September 11 attacks in the United States.
In March 2001, the Taliban decided to destroy historic Buddha statues in Bamiyan province, an act that drew worldwide condemnation.
The 2001 invasion
The United States invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, after the Taliban refused to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was in hiding in Afghanistan after initially being asked to return to the country by former mujahideen commander Abdul Rab Rassool Sayyaf. Bin Laden was considered the mastermind behind the deadliest attacks on American soil.
Before the US invasion, the group had asked the administration of US President George W Bush to provide proof of Bin Laden’s role in the September 11 attacks and later for negotiations with Washington. Bush rejected both.
The Taliban were overthrown a few months after the start of a bombing campaign by the United States and its allies, a new interim government led by Hamid Karzai was formed in December 2001.
Three years later, a new constitution was proclaimed; it was inspired by the reformed constitution of the 1960s, in which the rights of women and ethnic minorities were formally granted by the last king of the country, Mohammad Zahir Shah.
But by 2006, the overthrown Taliban had regrouped and were able to mobilize fighters in their battle against foreign occupiers and their allies.
A devastated nation
The 20 years of conflict have devastated Afghanistan, with more than 40,000 civilians killed in attacks by both the Taliban and US-led forces. At least 64,000 Afghan soldiers and police and more than 3,500 international soldiers were also killed.
The United States spent nearly $ 1 trillion on war and reconstruction projects, but the country still remains poor and its infrastructure in tatters.
In 2011, the Obama administration authorized a group of Taliban officials to relocate to Qatar, where they would be tasked with preparing the ground for face-to-face negotiations with the government of then President Karzai.
In 2013, the Taliban office in Doha was officially opened. In 2018, the Trump administration began formal and direct discussions with the group. The Afghan government was not invited.
The head of the Taliban political bureau in Doha, Abdul Ghani Baradar, signed an agreement with the United States on February 29, 2020, which paved the way for the withdrawal of the United States and other foreign forces. The Taliban have promised not to attack US-led foreign forces.
The deal also launched peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan leaders in the Qatari capital. But the Taliban continued their military offensive on the ground while participating in the talks. Last Sunday, they entered the presidential palace, taking over Afghanistan 20 years after being ousted from power.
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