Page 376 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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to rid Afghanistan of the mujahideen warlords and
TALIBAN restore unity under Islam.
At the time, Omar was living at a madrassa, or
Islamic religious school, in the village of Singesar.
The Taliban is a religious and military movement
that seized control of large portions of Afghanistan in Omar—a reclusive man who would not allow himself
the mid-1990s. While the Taliban was initially seen as to be photographed—would eventually become the
a stabilizing force in war-torn Afghanistan, the move- ultimate leader of the Taliban, given the title
ment’s embrace of a radical form of Islam quickly Commander of the Faithful. His background, and the
made it a pariah in the international community. religious philosophy of the madrassas, would strongly
The Taliban’s hosting of the terrorist organization shape the Taliban’s agenda.
Al Qaeda eventually led to its downfall in late 2001, Omar was a member of the Pushtun ethnic group.
following military strikes by the United States. Roughly half the Pushtuns lived in southern
Afghanistan, the other half lived in neighboring
Pakistan. National lines had been muddled following
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to shore up
COMING TO POWER
the PDPA government. Many Afghan Pushtuns fled to
The Taliban emerged in the southern Afghan district Pakistan, where they lived in refugee camps and
of Kandahar in 1994. Two years before, the among Pakistani Pushtuns. Most Pushtuns follow
mujahideen—a loose alliance of Afghan ethnic and the Sunni sect of Islam, which is the dominant sect in
religious groups, plus foreigners come to defend Afghanistan.
Islam—had ousted the Soviet-backed People’s The madrassas could be found on both sides of
Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) after more the Afghan-Pakistani border. Students at the madras-
than a decade of war. But peace did not follow victory. sas received an education that was primarily reli-
Mujahideen warlords began fighting over control of gious. The madrassas had been greatly influenced
Afghanistan. While some areas, such as the western by the Deobandi movement, a Sunni religious move-
city of Herat, were relatively stable, the Afghan capi- ment that emphasizes strict observance of religious
tal of Kabul was attacked ceaselessly for two years as ritual.
various factions fought for control of the city. The madrassas of Afghanistan and Pakistan supplied
The district of Kandahar was also in chaos. There, the Taliban not only with a leader but also with
the mujahideen warlords acted more like bandits soldiers—most of them Afghan, but many Pakistani.
than would-be governors, attacking civilians as well Even the Taliban’s name reflected its roots in the
as each other. In the summer of 1994, a former madrassas: The word Taliban is a Persian pluralization
mujahideen fighter named Mohammed Omar decided of the Arab word Talib, which means religious student.

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