Early history and ethnic conflict The Taliban and its rule arose from the
chaos after the
Soviet–Afghan War. It began as an
Islamic and Pashtun politico-religious movement composed of
madrasa students in southern Afghanistan. Overwhelmingly ethnic
Pashtuns, the Taliban blended
Pashtunwali tribal code with elements of
Deobandi teaching to form an
anti-Western and anti-modern
Islamist ideology with which it ruled. It began to receive support from neighboring Pakistan as well as from
Saudi Arabia, and the
United Arab Emirates. A small Taliban militia first emerged near Kandahar in the spring and summer of 1994, committing vigilante acts against minor warlords, with a fund of 250,000 USD from local businessmen. They soon began to receive backing from local Durrani Pashtun leaders. The first major military activity of the Taliban was in October–November 1994 when they marched from
Maiwand in southern Afghanistan to capture
Kandahar City and the surrounding provinces, losing only a few dozen men. Starting with the capture of a border crossing and a huge ammunition dump from warlord
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a few weeks later they freed "a convoy trying to open a trade route from Pakistan to Central Asia" from another group of warlords attempting to extort money. In the next three months this hitherto "unknown force" took control of twelve of Afghanistan's 34
provinces, with Mujahideen warlords often surrendering to them without a fight and the "heavily armed population" giving up their weapons. The Taliban initially enjoyed enormous good will from Afghans weary of the corruption, brutality, and the incessant fighting of
Mujahideen warlords. However, reactions and resistance would vary and increase among non-
Pashtun people. The Taliban considered many of Afghanistan's other ethnic communities as foreign.
Pashtun people are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and comprised the vast majority of the Taliban movement. As the Taliban expanded from their southern and south-eastern strongholds, they encountered more resistance; their brand of
Deobandism, incorporated with the
Pashtunwali tribal code, was viewed as foreign by the other ethnic groups of Afghanistan. The
Battles of Mazar-i-Sharif illustrated this ethnic tension.
Rise to power and rule Spreading from
Kandahar, the Taliban eventually captured
Kabul in 1996. By the end of 2000, the Taliban controlled 90% of the country, aside from the opposition (
Northern Alliance) strongholds found primarily in the northeast corner of
Badakhshan Province. Areas under the Taliban's direct control were mainly Afghanistan's major cities and highways. Tribal khans and warlords had
de facto direct control over various small towns, villages, and rural areas. The Taliban sought to establish
law and order and to impose a strict interpretation of Islamic
Sharia law, along with the religious edicts of Mullah
Mohammed Omar, upon the entire country of Afghanistan.
television,
Communists were systematically executed.
Prayer was made compulsory and those who did not respect the religious obligation after the
azaan were arrested. the Taliban succeeded in nearly eradicating the majority of the opium production (99%) by 2001. Under the Taliban governance of Afghanistan, both drug users and dealers were severely prosecuted.
Cabinet ministers and deputies were
mullahs with a "
madrasah education". Several of them, such as the Minister of Health and Governor of the State bank, were primarily military commanders who were ready to leave their administrative posts to fight when needed. Military reverses that trapped them behind lines or led to their deaths increased the chaos in the national administration. At the national level, "all senior
Tajik,
Uzbek and
Hazara bureaucrats" were replaced "with Pashtuns, whether qualified or not". Consequently, the ministries "by and large ceased to function". Rashid described the Taliban government as "a secret society run by
Kandaharis ... mysterious, secretive, and dictatorial". Before capturing Kabul, there was talk of stepping aside once a government of "good Muslims" took power, and law and order were restored. As the Taliban's power grew, decisions were made by Mullah Omar without consulting the
jirga and without consulting other parts of the country. One such instance is the rejection of Loya Jirga decision about expulsion of
Osama bin Laden. Mullah Omar visited the capital, Kabul, only twice while in power. Instead of an election, their leader's legitimacy came from an oath of allegiance ("
Bay'ah"), in imitation of
the Prophet and the
first four Caliphs. On 4 April 1996, Mullah Omar had "the
Cloak of Muhammad" taken from its shrine,
Kirka Sharif, for the first time in 60 years. Wrapping himself in the relic, he appeared on the roof of a building in the center of Kandahar while hundreds of Pashtun mullahs below shouted "
Amir al-Mu'minin!" (Commander of the Faithful), in a pledge of support. Taliban spokesman Mullah Wakil explained: The Taliban were very reluctant to share power, and since their ranks were overwhelmingly Pashtun they ruled as overlords over the 60% of Afghans from other ethnic groups. In local government, such as Kabul city council or Herat, Taliban loyalists, not locals, dominated, even when the
Pashto-speaking Taliban could not communicate with the roughly half of the population who spoke
Dari or other non-Pashtun tongues. In late 2004, the then hidden Taliban leader
Mohammed Omar announced an insurgency against "America and its puppets" (i.e.
transitional Afghan government forces) to "regain the sovereignty of our country". Following a long insurgency, the Taliban once again took control of Afghanistan in 2021. ==Government==