WThe Taliban, which refers to itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Pashtun Islamic fundamentalist political movement and military organization in Afghanistan. Currently one of two entities claiming to be the legitimate government of Afghanistan, alongside the internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Taliban have de facto control of the country. The Taliban's ideology has been described as combining an "innovative" form of Sharia Islamic law based on Deobandi fundamentalism and militant Islamism, combined with Pashtun social and cultural norms known as Pashtunwali, as most Taliban are Pashtun tribesmen. The group is internally funded by its activities in the illegal drug trade by producing and trafficking narcotics such as heroin, extortion, and kidnap and ransom. They also seized control of mining operations in the mid-2010s that were illegal under the previous government.
WThe Afghanistan fighting season refers to the cyclical restarting of fighting every spring during the War in Afghanistan due to weather and economic factors. It generally runs from April to October.
WBattle of Kabul refers to a series of intermittent battles and sieges over the city of Kabul during the period of 1992–1996.
WThe Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th-century monumental statues of Vairocana Buddha and Gautama Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley of central Afghanistan, 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of Kabul at an elevation of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). Carbon dating of the structural components of the Buddhas has determined that the smaller 38 m (125 ft) "Eastern Buddha" was built around 570 AD, and the larger 55 m (180 ft) "Western Buddha" was built around 618 AD, which would date both to the time when the Hephthalites ruled the region.
WThe Doha Agreement, also known as the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, is a peace agreement that was signed by the United States and the Taliban on February 29, 2020, to bring the Afghanistan War to an end. The four-page agreement was signed at the Sheraton Grand Doha in Doha, Qatar, and published on the US State Department's website. It was negotiated by Zalmay Khalilzad.
WOperation Falcon Summit was a Canadian-led operation in the Battle of Panjwaii and, on a larger scale, in the War in Afghanistan.
WThe Haqqani network is an Afghan Islamist guerrilla insurgent group, built around the family of the same name, that has used asymmetric warfare in Afghanistan to fight against Soviet forces in the 1980s, and US-led NATO forces and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan government in the 21st century. It is considered to be a "semi-autonomous" offshoot of the Taliban. It has been most active in eastern Afghanistan and across the Durand Line in north-west Pakistan.
WThis is a timeline of the background of the history of the Taliban. It details the Taliban movement's origins in Pashtun nationalism, and briefly relates its ideological underpinnings with that of broader Afghan society. It also describes the Taliban's consolidation of power, listing persecutions by Taliban officials during both its five years in power in Afghanistan and its war with the Northern Alliance. It further covers the Taliban's time in power, its fall following the US invasion and its fight against the subsequent occupation, as well as its eventual return to power.
WThe Taliban insurgency was an insurgency that began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani.
WThe Islamic Army of Afghanistan is the combined army and air force of the Taliban run Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since August 2021. The first Islamic Army of Afghanistan was initially created in 1997 after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan following the end of the Afghan Civil War, however the Army was dissolved in 2001 after the Taliban were deposed from power following the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was reestablished in 2021 after the Taliban's victory in the War in Afghanistan on August 15th 2021 following the fall of Kabul and the collapse of the U.S backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its Afghan National Army as a whole, with the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after being out of power for 20 years.
WThe Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was an Islamic state established in September 1996, when the Taliban began their governance of Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul. At its peak, the Taliban government controlled approximately 90% of the country, while remaining regions in the northeast were held by the Northern Alliance, which maintained broad international recognition as a continuation of the Islamic State of Afghanistan.
WJoint Statement on Afghanistan Evacuation Travel Assurances is a statement issued on August 29, 2021 by 94 countries around the world stating that they had “received assurances from the Taliban” that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel documents showing they were clear to enter any of those countries could safely depart. Also, the statement said the countries would continue to issue travel documents to designated Afghans. This is supposed to allow a safe passage after the 31 August deadline for withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.
WThe Islamic Army of Afghanistan is the combined army and air force of the Taliban run Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since August 2021. The first Islamic Army of Afghanistan was initially created in 1997 after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan following the end of the Afghan Civil War, however the Army was dissolved in 2001 after the Taliban were deposed from power following the United States invasion of Afghanistan. It was reestablished in 2021 after the Taliban's victory in the War in Afghanistan on August 15th 2021 following the fall of Kabul and the collapse of the U.S backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its Afghan National Army as a whole, with the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after being out of power for 20 years.
WOperation Medusa was a Canadian-led offensive during the second Battle of Panjwaii of the War in Afghanistan. The operation was fought primarily by the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group and other elements of the International Security Assistance Force, supported by the Afghan National Army and a team from the United States Army's 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) augmented by A Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division. Its goal was to establish government control over an area of Kandahar Province centered in the district of Panjwayi some 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Kandahar city. A tactical victory, it resulted in the deaths of 12 Canadian soldiers; five during the major combat operations, five in bombings, and two in a mortar/RPG attack during the reconstruction phase of the operation. Fourteen British military personnel were also killed when their plane crashed. Despite suffering a brutal battlefield defeat, the Taliban retained their presence in Kandahar province and did not lose their will to fight, leading to the subsequent Operation Falcon Summit. Nonetheless, Operation Medusa was at the time the most significant land battle ever undertaken by NATO.
WThe Mullah Dadullah Front is an insurgent group in Afghanistan that has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings and assassinations centered in Kabul.
WSince the 2001 fall of their national government in Afghanistan Taliban propaganda has developed into a sophisticated public relations machine that is shaping perceptions in Afghanistan and abroad. Although polls show the movement remains unpopular, the insurgents have readily exploited a sense of growing alienation fostered by years of broken government promises, official corruption, and the rising death toll among civilians from airstrikes and other military actions. "The result is weakening public support for nation-building, even though few actively support the Taliban," says a report from the International Crisis Group, a think tank that monitors conflicts. An American official in Afghanistan agrees: "We cannot afford to be passive [communicators] any longer if we're going to turn this around."
WSanctions against the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan were implemented by the United Nations in November 1999. The sanctions were aimed at terrorists, Osama Bin Laden and members of Al-Qaeda.
WThe Survivor is a 2016 Pakistani-American documentary short written and directed by Danial Afzal, of Arash Visuals, Inc, and produced by Shazia Sikandar and Kruti Mehta. The film follows the story of a boy named Muneeb who survived the Army Public School Massacre of 2014 in Peshawar, Pakistan.
WSenior leaders of the Afghan Taliban have been stationed in Doha, Qatar, since the early 2010s. The original purpose for being there was to open an office that would facilitate political reconciliation between the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan, the United States and other countries. After the Taliban office building opened in 2013, peace negotiations were suspended following objections by the Afghan government that the office was being presented as the embassy of a government in exile. Taliban leaders remained in Doha with accommodation from the Qatari government, on the condition that the office cannot be used for public dealings.
WUnited Nations Security Council resolution 1267 was adopted unanimously on 15 October 1999. After recalling resolutions 1189 (1998), 1193 (1998) and 1214 (1998) on the situation in Afghanistan, the Council designated Osama bin Laden and associates as terrorists and established a sanctions regime to cover individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and/or the Taliban wherever located.
WUnited Nations Security Council resolution 1452, adopted unanimously on 20 December 2002, after recalling resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000), 1363 (2001), 1368 (2001) and 1390 (2001) concerning Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and terrorism, the Council decided that financial sanctions against the organisations would not apply to expenses for food, rent, medicine and medical care, health insurance and professional fees.
WUnited Nations Security Council resolution 1455, adopted unanimously on 17 January 2003, after recalling resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000), 1363 (2001), 1373 (2001), 1390 (2001) and 1452 (2002) concerning Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and terrorism, the council improved the implementation of measures against the groups. It was the first Security Council resolution adopted in 2003.
WUnited Nations Security Council resolution 1617, adopted unanimously on 29 July 2005, after recalling resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000), 1363 (2001), 1373 (2001), 1390 (2001), 1452 (2002), 1455 (2003), 1526 (2004) and 1566 (2004) concerning terrorism, the Council renewed sanctions against Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and associated individuals and groups for a further seventeen months.
WUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1988, adopted unanimously on June 17, 2011, after recalling resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000), 1363 (2001), 1373 (2001), 1390 (2002), 1452 (2002), 1455 (2003), 1526 (2004), 1566 (2004), 1617 (2005), 1624 (2005), 1699 (2006), 1730 (2006), 1735 (2006), 1822 (2008) and 1904 (2009) on terrorism and the threat to Afghanistan, the Council imposed separate sanctions regimes on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
WUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1989, adopted unanimously on June 17, 2011, after recalling resolutions 1267 (1999), 1333 (2000), 1363 (2001), 1373 (2001), 1390 (2002), 1452 (2002), 1455 (2003), 1526 (2004), 1566 (2004), 1617 (2005), 1624 (2005), 1699 (2006), 1730 (2006), 1735 (2006), 1822 (2008), 1904 (2009) and 1988 (2011) on terrorism and the threat to Afghanistan, the Council imposed separate sanctions regimes on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
WThe War in Afghanistan was a conflict that took place from 2001 to 2021 in Afghanistan. It began when the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate. The war ended with the Taliban regaining power after a 19 years and 10 months-long insurgency against allied NATO and Afghan Armed Forces. It was the longest war in United States history, surpassing the Vietnam War (1955–1975) by approximately five months.
WThe United States Armed Forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on 30 August 2021, marking the end of the 2001–2021 War in Afghanistan. The withdrawal took place in the context of the Doha Agreement, signed in February 2020 by the Trump administration and the Taliban without participation by the Afghan government, which provided for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan, in return for a Taliban pledge to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in areas under Taliban control, and future talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government for a permanent ceasefire.