The fight against the Taliban has been raging for thousands for years, although the end may be near. When most Americans hear of the Taliban the first thing that comes to mind is that they are the terrorist organization that is responsible for flying the airplanes into the world trade center buildings. And this would be a correct assessment. However, my goal for this paper is to describe the history of the Taliban, the organizational structure of the Taliban, the beliefs of the Taliban, and how the Taliban organization is doing today.
The history of the Taliban can be traced to the soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The Taliban emerged as one of the many resistance groups that formed to fight Soviet forces and try to remove soviet forces from Afghanistan. One ironic thing that many people don’t know about is that the Taliban at one time received military aid and training from the United States who was also helping behind the scenes to remove the soviets from Afghanistan. These efforts were successful and it is reported that the Soviets lost 15,000 troops in the takeover of Afghanistan. Eventually, the soviets could no longer continue the fight and ended up withdrawing from Afghanistan in 1989. The Taliban came out of the fighting as a very powerful faction. A neighboring country, Pakistan, has strong religious and ethnic bonds with the Taliban and gave them much support following the soviet withdrawal. In 1994 Pakistan chose the Taliban to guard convoys to open a trade route from Pakistan to Central Asia. Pakistan provided them with weapons, military training, and lots of financial support. The Taliban gained more and more power with this support and eventually gained control over numerous Aghanistan cities. In S...
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...ern part of Afghanistan and against the US forces.
The Taliban today enjoys continued, if declining support. It appears that many Afghanistan civilians do not trust the national government any more than they trusted the Taliban when they were in control. Since the overthrow of the Taliban, many human rights have been restored in the country. Women are now even allowed to go to school and get an education. However, corruption within the government has eroded public favor towards the government and always leaves the door open for the Taliban gain followers and retake control. Government control is now done through elections and it is doubtful that the Taliban would ever retake control through that channel. The only way the Taliban could retake control now is through force and after years of war with the united states they are not the threat that they once were.
The novel Prince of Afghanistan by Louis Nowra (2015) explores two Australian soldiers, Casey and Mark who are involved in a mission to rescue hostages captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, due to the unfortunate death of Casey, being killed by a Taliban rocket, his dog, Prince is left behind with no carer, other than Mark. With the brutality of war, and the race against hunger, danger and time, they both must rely on each other for survival. As the story reflects upon Australians engagement with Asia, it conveys themes of friendship, trust and the nature of courage and heroism through the character, character development and the relationship among each other.
The Taliban or “students” is a political-religious group founded in Kandahar, Afghanistan. They controlled 90% of Afghanistan from 1996-2001, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The group formed after the ten year war in Afghanistan in anticipation of composing a new society based from Islamic Law. Most of the members in
On December 24th 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. On that day began a war which wreaked incredible havoc and destruction on Afghanistan for 10 long years. The Soviets stormed in with thousands of troops at the request of the troubled Afghan Communist regime. The Russians believed this be a neat surgical military operation. They were wrong.(Boggs) The only resistance to the Soviet invasion were men known as the "mujahideen" known to many as freedom fighters. They are multinational; some even from America, doing everything in their power to repeal the Soviet horde. The Soviet invasion frightened neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, so they unofficially allied with the United States. The U.S. provided the weaponry, training, etc., Saudi Arabia recruited the fighters (mujahideen) which were sometimes based in Pakistan. They all agreed on the need for armed resistance against the Soviets. The U.S. decided to tap the religious vein of the rebels, creating a zealous religiously driven guerrilla organization; well armed and trained by CIA officers with the goal of returning Afghanistan to Islamic purity.
The Taliban is an ultra-fundamentalist group that has 90 percent of Afghanistan under its control (Taliban). When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Islamic factions united to expel the Russian occupiers from Afghanistan (Afghanistan). The new government that had formed soon collapsed from the deep-rooted ethnic and religious differences of its members (Afghanistan). The Taliban emerged victorious from the ensuing civil war to establish a reign of terror on the Afghan people (Afghanistan).
Women in America do not have to worry about a terrorist group coming and taking their rights away. They have a government that protects them from these groups and makes sure they have the same rights as others. In the Middle East, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan, women are scared to speak too loudly. These women live in fear each day of their lives because if they make one small mistake it could mean their life. Yet, there are some people who are fighting for women’s rights, especially women’s education. Malala Yousafzai is a girl who fought for women’s education. At the age of eleven, Malala began writing a blog for BBC Urdu. The blog described how she was upset that women’s education under the Taliban would be forced to stop. Malala also appeared on national television talking about women’s education. She has become a symbol of resistance against the Taliban. Even after Malala was put on the Taliban’s hit list, she continues to speak out about what she felt needed to be said. Malala would give her life for this cause, and she almost did. On October 9, 2012, Malala was on her way home from her morning classes when a man walked on to her bus and asked, “Who is Malala”. When she said it was her he shot her. The bullets hit her head and her leg. The Taliban ordered for her to be shot because she was promoting western culture in Pashtun areas. In another case Mukhtar Mai stood up for women’s rights and was sexually assaulted by multiple men with orders from the tribal council. The tradition in Mukhtar’s tribe was that a woman who is sexually assaulted by multiple men should kill herself, but instead of committing suicide she fought for her cause (Samira 28-30). Although the Taliban restricts women’s education for religious reaso...
Interestingly enough, many different ethnic groups can be found in Afghanistan. Some are from other countries and others have only Afghan routes. Discoveries show that Hazaras are one of the lowest and Pashtuns one of the highest powers in Afghan society. People would automatically assume that there were only one or two different ethnic groups, which live in Afghanistan. However, there appears to be a great variety of different peoples living in Afghan society. All together, fourteen different ethnicities can be discovered in Afghanistan. I have found the following: Arab, Hindu-Sikh, Farsiwans, Wakhis, Sunni Brahui, Qizilbash, Aimaqs, Baluchs, Nuristanis, Turkmens, Uzbeks, Hazaras, Tajik, and Pashtun people.
The Taliban, a forceful political association against women’s rights, ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen). Predominantly, they believe in the religion of Islam, as do most Afghans, and that males are the dominant gender (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen). They controlled Afghanistan under their “version” of the Islamic laws which many others did not agree with (Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls). The Taliban is composed of Afghan men of various ages who did not grow up in Afghanistan, therefore know little about their country’s culture (Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls). The leader of the Taliban from 1994 to 2001 was Mohammed Omar, a religious leader that, over time, gained more and more followers (Bellamy). Eventually he ousted the Afghanistan government and gained control of the country (Bellamy). The Taliban only ruled for five years, but what they did has left a scarring mark on the country of Afghanistan.
The United States Military though has problems in the country and has been having these problems since the invasion. Training Afghan forces and fighting the Taliban has not been working and is not efficient. We are trying to win the hearts and minds of the people but when the Taliban are blowing up schools and hospitals, winning those hearts and minds is a challenge. “Americans are used to be successful and these wars are not” announces Mark Lytle (Hampson). Americans are being worn down and soon will be on the verge of giving up, something Al Qaeda wants, and we are letting our enemy win this war. Afghanistan though also has ethnic problems. There are several divisions in Afghanistan, different tribes different ethnic background. The concept of majority rule has not been sitting well. The Afghan Government is corrupt and is not efficient enough to rule effectively. “The sooner we accept that Afghanistan ...
Travesties are committed against women every day, in every country, in every city, town and home. In Afghanistan women are not only discriminated against, they are publicly reduced to animals. Women are deprived of basic human rights: they are not allowed to travel outside their homes without being completely covered by the traditional shroud-like burqa; they are not allowed to speak or walk loudly in public; they are not allowed to laugh or speak with other women; they are not allowed to attend school nor work; they are expected to be invisible; they are the ghosts of what were once educated, notable, and successful women. With their ruthless and extreme laws, the Taliban have effectively removed the physical presence of women in Afghanistan. The Taliban have stolen the very souls of these women and have turned them into the “living dead” of Afghanistan. The Taliban’s harsh restrictions and extreme religious laws have tainted the freedoms and basic human rights of the once valued and prominent women of Afghanistan.
...13, the U.S. has spent about $54 billion funding security forces in Afghanistan and $92 billion on reconstruction, agriculture, and other development projects” (Labelle 2). If one third - approximately 49 billion - is lost to the hands of corruption, then why continue to give so much? The Taliban has bribed their way into high positions. Agencies have tried interventions that have failed due to the low literacy of Afghanistan's population. E zFurthermore, the Taliban pose security risks to any one who oppose their commands. "Corruption is the enemy of development, and of good governance. It must be got rid of. Both the government and the people must come together to achieve this national objective" (Pratibha Patel). Corruption is the root of Afghanistan's suffering. As of now, no amount of money can fix the hurt of this country; it is in the hands of its people.
On September 11, 2001, the most disastrous terrorist attack in U.S. history left a countless number of innocent Americans both dead and missing. The Taliban’s assault on the Pentagon and annihilation of New York’s World Trade Center caused the entire country to wonder what was going on in the rest of the world to cause so much animosity toward our great nation. Little did many American citizens know that this shocking catastrophe was the result of years of unrest and chaos in the Middle East. The tragic events of September 11th occurred as a result of the recent, political history of Afghanistan, the development of the radical Islamic group, the Taliban, and the monetary and military support that the Taliban has received.
People from many countries have joined this group, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Britain. This paper is going to present a brief historical background of Al Qaeda, how it emerged with their ideology, view, believe, and goals and also it presents the activities which this group has been doing before and after the very massive attack they had in the US on September 11, 2001 and the international responses to this act of violence. Finally, this paper will end up with comparing this Organization (Al Qaeda) with Reverend Mike Bray the Christian terrorist. Historical Background of Al Qaeda Al Qaeda is led by Osama bin Laden, who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. His family was very rich and respected by Saudi royal household and the public.
Canada has played a vital role in international relations for the majority of its 144 year history since the signing of Confederation in 1867. Canada first participated in World War I, then World War II in 1939-1945. Following World War II, Canada was also involved in the Korean War. Canada has been primarily a peacekeeping nation. There are many questions people ask when a high income country goes to help a lower income nation such as Afghanistan. What are Canada’s motives for helping out Afghanistan? Who will benefit from Canada going to war in Afghanistan? These are some of the questions many people have. While Canada has many domestic problems of its own such as homelessness, poverty and increasing national debt, why should Canada get involved with a problem that is across the globe? Are the costs of going to war out weight the political benefits? Modernity, modernization theory and gender stratification are some key concepts that are related to Canada going to war in Afghanistan.
Ever since the Taliban took over they have been violating the rights of their people especially the women. If seen anywhere alone or uncovered the women get punished usually either getting beat or held captive. This is very common for the women in Afghanistan to experience. The Taliban uses the Islamic Koran book as their way of doing things. The Islamic Koran is a sacred book seen as almost like a bible. The Taliban interprets what they get out of this book into their way of life. However their interpretation of it is more of a punishing form for the women. The official name of Afghanistan is the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is known for its great quantity of natural resources such as coal, oil, gas, and extreme amount of opium. Twenty years of war has impacted Afghanistan dramatically, people hurt and dead due to all the war landmines women and children dying and girls prohibited from going to school (Strong). The Taliban is well known for causing chaos and destruction within their own territory. Threatening and making people fear them are their best tactics to get what they want. They even went as far as almost bombing the capital Kabul if the president did not surrender his forces against the Taliban (Kelley). We should care about Afghanistan because the Taliban uses various ways to violate the human rights of women in Afghanistan including rape, beatings, and the prohibiting of being able to go to school.
Afghanistan is like a time capsule. Many people farm for subsistence, and few are able to read or write. Afghans have been compared to Spartans in that they are a martial people who have been at war for thousands of years. The rough terrain in which they live lends itself to long periods of resistance. Time and time again they have been able to push away would be conquerors. The current war in Afghanistan stands in contrast to previous wars because its purpose is not one of conquest for land or for the exploitation of resources. The purpose of the current war in Afghanistan is to win over the Afghan people and to help them grow ideologically to assimilate into an ever more technologically advanced global environment.