The Taliban (Afghanistan)

 

Background:

 The Taliban is a far-right, strict Islamic terrorist group that was created sometime in the early 1990’s. The group began as a small group of Muslim students but by 1994 numbered more than 15,000. In 1996, the Taliban took control of the Kabul and established its own government which lasted until the 2001 United States invasion of Afghanistan. The Taliban focus on strict enforcement of Shariah law.[1]

 

Funding:

At the very beginning of the group, the Taliban received funding and weapons from the United States. Pakistan has funded the Taliban for many years as well as diaspora from other middle eastern countries. Today the Taliban continues to receive much of its funding from drug trading.[1]

 

Human Rights Violations:

The Taliban have used suicide bombing, IEDs, assassinations, civilian massacres, and kidnapping to further its goals. More recently the group has begun to conduct more operations aimed at the civilian population. The Taliban have also historically been known to mistreat women.[1]

 

[1] Stanford, 2012

 

Stanford (2012) The Taliban. Retrieved from: http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/367