Taliban: Map & History
Taliban is mapped in the atlas for 1996 CE – 2005 CE, with a peak mapped extent of about 560,314 km².
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The Taliban, officially known as the Islamic Movement of Taliban, also referring to itself by the name of the government it operates, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the ruling government and religious organization of Afghanistan, as well as a militant organization with an ideology comprising elements of the Deobandi movement of Islamic fundamentalism and Pashtun nationalism. It is de facto the sole legal political force in the country, and rejects the principle of democratic participation in its decision making, considering political parties to be un-Islamic. It governs and operates centrally under a supreme leader with unlimited power who issues fatwas serving both as law and religious instruction. It ruled approximately 90% of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before it was overthrown by an American-led invasion after the September 11 attacks carried out by the Taliban's ally al-Qaeda. Following a 20-year insurgency and the departure of coalition forces, the Taliban recaptured Kabul in August 2021, overthrowing the Islamic Republic, and now controls all of Afghanistan. The Taliban has been condemned for restricting human rights, including women's rights to work and have an education, and for the persecution of ethnic minorities. It is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, and the Taliban government is largely unrecognized by the international community.
Modern Countries Once Part of Taliban
At its mapped extent, Taliban covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Taliban's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Taliban in Depth
History
The Taliban movement originated in Pashtun nationalism, and its ideological underpinnings are with that of broader Afghan society. Pakistan was heavily involved in creating the Taliban in 1994. The Taliban's roots lie in the religious schools of Kandahar and were influenced significantly by foreign support, particularly from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, during the Soviet–Afghan War. They emerged in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, capturing Kandahar and expanding their control across the country; they became involved in a war with the Northern Alliance. The international response to the Taliban varied, with some countries providing support while others opposed and did not recognize their regime.
Background
After the Soviet Union intervened and occupied Afghanistan in 1979, Islamic mujahideen fighters waged a war against Soviet forces. During the Soviet–Afghan War, nearly all of the Taliban's original leaders had fought for either the Hezb-i Islami Khalis or the Harakat-i Inqilab-e Islami factions of the Mujahideen.
Pakistan's President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq feared that the Soviets were also planning to invade Balochistan, Pakistan, so he sent Akhtar Abdur Rahman to Saudi Arabia to garner support for the Afghan resistance against Soviet occupation forces. A while later, the US CIA and the Saudi Arabian General Intelligence Directorate (GID) funnelled funding and equipment through the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence Agency (ISI) to the Afghan mujahideen.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Taliban (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Taliban: Key Facts
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
Facts from Wikidata Q42418 (CC0).
Taliban Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 560,314 km² in 2002 CE.
Taliban: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Taliban exist?
Taliban is dated to 1996 CE – 2005 CE, in the Industrial era.
How large was Taliban at its peak?
At its peak in 2002 Taliban covered about 560,314 km².
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