The one that was really dangerous for me was
the time that we needed to distribute the books and notebooks to the very far village. I was working with an international organization
teaching the girls out there. So we put all the books in the
back of the car. Of course, my father-in-law and a driver
accompany me. During the way, crossing the road, we're stopped
by the Taliban. They keep everyone separated so they cannot
listen to each other. So, I was the only woman sitting out there. All the trunks and backs of our cars
were full of the books. I was really sure that this time they will
definitely kill me. This was in 1999. When the Taliban first ruled Afghanistan. They oppressed Afghans with laws
drawn from tribal codes and a strict interpretation of Islam. Their control was total and brutal. Two decades later, the Taliban
have taken back power. Every year, I've seen how the Taliban, they
grew stronger. They have taken over Afghanistan twice. Not because they're good at governing. But because of the other actors in Afghanistan,
because of their failures. "Afghanistan falls to Taliban control." "Afghanistan. Soviet troops were everywhere throughout the
capital and the country." "Moscow claimed they were there because they'd
been invited." "That version of events found few believers
elsewhere." In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan to back an ally the new Communist Afghan government. Together, they wanted to transform the country
into a socialist state. But they faced resistance. "The Afghan crisis won't be easily dismissed,
and a glance at the map shows why." Afghanistan is a deeply divided country. At the time, only a small fraction of the population
lived in a few major cities including some who supported the government. But the majority of Afghans lived in rural
areas where people were generally poor, conservative, and very devoted to Islam and tribal traditions. For many, authority came from tribal leaders
of their respective ethic groups. Not the government in Kabul. So when the Communist Afghan government
tried to enforce land reforms and abolish social codes,
rural Afghans revolted. They formed independent militias, but were
collectively known as the mujahideen. "These are real mujahideen." "They are scattered and almost
impossible to unite." "They operate best in small groups and in
their home the mountains." The Soviet Army managed to occupy the cities,
but met fierce resistance from the mujahideen in the rural areas. The Soviets responded by pounding the countryside
with bombs, and razing entire villages. But it galvanized more people
to join the rebellion. Thousands of muslim volunteers from around
the world joined the mujahideen. Countries eager to gain influence in Afghanistan
started arming and funding militias. Even the US sent weapons to drain the Soviets,
their main rival. The support allowed the mujahideen
to fight for 10 years. Around a million Afghans died and
6 million were displaced. In 1989, the Soviets gave up and left. 3 years after that, the Afghan Communist
government fell. But the violence didnât end. The mujahideen groups turned on each other. And by 1992, Afghanistan was consumed
by civil war. Door to door, street to street, road to road. Region to region, province to province. There was always fighting. This is Sweeta Noori. She was born and raised in Afghanistan. And has worked there for years promoting
education and womenâs rights. They start searching the houses to find if
there is a beautiful or young woman so they can marry by force. It was really the worst time. Kandahar was especially violent. Several mujahideen and criminal groups terrorized
the population. In the spring of 1994, a group of locals here
had enough. They asked this man, Mohammed Omar, for help. He had fought in the Soviet war, before becoming
a teacher, or mullah, at an Islamic school called a madrassa. He and a few other mullahs gathered some students,
and drove out the mujahideen. When more students joined, they captured the
whole district. Then Kandahar City. This group became known as the Taliban, which
means âthe studentsâ, in Pashto. As the sole militia in Kandahar, they brought
peace for the first time in years. And thatâs exactly why many people
supported them. If the mullahs and imams say that the color
of the milk is black, all the people accepting that because it comes from mullahs. Why not giving them an opportunity
to take over the government. At this point, the Taliban were all members
of Afghanistanâs largest ethnic group the Pashtuns. Which made it easier for them to take over
the mostly Pashtun-areas in the south. Then they moved west and north, defeating
some warlords and bribing others to join them. As they gained territory, they also found
a way to fund their expansion. By taking over these highways they raised
millions through taxes. And by gaining control of Afghanistan's
poppy-growing regions they profited from the illegal opium trade. But the most crucial support came from a neighbor. Pakistan was worried that one of these mujahideen
groups would take power and ally with its enemy, India. Effectively surrounding them. So they gave the Taliban tons of weapons
early on. In September 1996, the Taliban entered Kabul
and took control of Afghanistan. My name is Nagieb Khaja. I've been covering the war in Afghanistan
for 17 years. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, they
set up a government that was basically only their members. Both its leadership and fighting base were
predominantly Pashtun teachers and students. It was basically a very inexperienced government
without any practical knowledge about how to govern. Yet, they decided to remake the country based
on a religious ideology that took shape in their madrassas. What makes the Taliban special is that these
madrassas called Deobandi madrassas are inspired by a certain interpretation of Islam
influenced by Pashtun culture. Music, television, and even flying kites
were banned. Men had to grow beards. But the most draconian rules
were placed on women. They weren't allowed to go out
without a male relative. They couldn't educate themselves. They were practically banned from working. Many schools for girls went underground. Like the one Sweeta ran in Kabul. It was like only 20 meters away from
the Taliban camp. I had like a good number of the students coming
to my school. It was all done in secret. And one day, the Taliban enter. So I stopped them in front of the door and
I asked them to wait. My students just notice that they hide the
books and take out their holy Qurans. They would start beating me. And same thing they would do with
the family of the girls. Beatings, stonings, and public executions
were common punishments under the Taliban regime. Itâs why most countries, except Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia and the UAE refused to recognize them
as a legitimate government. But the Taliban soon found other allies. "The most wanted terrorist in the world:
Osama bin Laden." "...by Afghanistan's ruling Taliban." "The ruling Taliban's refusal to surrender
suspected terrorist bin Laden." "The US will hold Afghanistan responsible
for any attack linked to bin Laden." "You're looking at, obviously a very disturbing
live shot there." "That is the World Trade Center..." After the 9/11 attacks, a US-led coalition
invaded Afghanistan to hunt down bin Laden and topple the Taliban. With the help of these mujahideen leaders
it took less than 3 months to capture Kabul. Bin Laden escaped but the Taliban regime surrendered
and asked for amnesty. The US refused. So basically, the Taliban, they don't get a choice. They can either become prisoners
or continue fighting. The Taliban leadership fled to Pakistan, while
most fighters went into hiding in rural Afghanistan. Then, the US promised to rebuild the country
and turn it into a democracy. It worked with the UN to set up an
Afghan government and Army. And invited mujahideen leaders to run
the local governments. Then they gave the government billions of
dollars to build roads, bridges, hospitals, and utilities in the cities and rural areas. But many of those projects never took shape. The Afghan government was deeply corrupt
and stole millions. And in 2003, the US invaded Iraq and diverted
a lot of its money. What remained was spent mostly in the cities. While rural Afghanistan was neglected. And increasingly under attack. While the US was trying to rebuild Afghanistan,
it was simultaneously waging a war on it. The American military was hunting down
Taliban and al-Qaeda members largely in these rural areas. And funding and arming these mujahideen leaders
in exchange for their help. But it all backfired. Drone-strikes and night raids increasingly
killed innocent civilians. And the mujahideen leaders started terrorizing
people, effectively becoming warlords. "The suffering of Afghanistan in certain parts
of the country have not ended." "We still keep losing our civilian lives." "It's becoming to be heavy for us. It's not understandable anymore." Basically, the Americans, they created
their own monsters. As early as 2004, the Taliban leadership regrouped
in Pakistan and started recruiting fighters. Like the 90s, they attracted Pashtun fighters
in the south and east. Butt this time they also attracted non-Pashtuns,
including Afghans from the west and north. But the thing that they have in common is
that they are from rural Afghanistan. They had been harassed by the local authorities. They had relatives being killed by
US aerial bombings. They were caught between
a rock and a hard place and they ended up choosing the hard place. And that was the Taliban. Soon they were ambushing
US, NATO, and Afghan troops. And introducing more sophisticated tactics
like roadside bombs. And suicide attacks. Enlisting diverse groups, even those that
didnât share their strict religious beliefs, made it possible for the Taliban to take territory
in many parts of the country. For funding, they relied on familiar tactics,
taxing highways and trading poppy. Plus, they continued to have help from Pakistan,
who not only protected Taliban leaders but also armed, funded, and trained their fighters. By 2008, the Taliban controlled huge swaths
of rural Afghanistan and even threatened some cities. "And as Commander in Chief, I have determined
that it is in our vital, national interest to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan." In 2009, the US responded by sending a surge
of troops for 18 months. They cleared major cities, but couldnât
dislodge the Taliban from the rural areas. In 2012, the US reduced its troops and relied
on the Afghan Government and Army to lead the fight. But years of corruption had led many Afghans
to distrust the government. Leaving room for the Taliban to start governing
their own territories. But this version of the Taliban's governance
was more flexible than their rule in the 90s. In some places, their governance looked very
much like the old Taliban in the mid 90s. In other areas, they are much more pragmatic. They had girls' schools and they didn't practices,
you know, rules about beards and TV shows. It was proof that you had
a very fragmented Taliban. That was key that allowed them to consolidate
power and wait for the US to leave. In February 2020, the Trump administration
went straight to the Taliban to strike a deal. They agreed to leave Afghanistan. In August 2021, the Biden administration
delivered on that deal. As the final troops pulled out,
the Taliban attacked. The world watched as the Afghan army surrendered,
the government fled and the Taliban entered Kabul unopposed. In September, the Taliban announced a new
interim government. And it looks familiar. Its top leadership is mostly Pashtun. Many of whom served in the 1990s regime. But their base, like their fighters, is far
more diverse. Which makes this new regime unpredictable. It will be a problem for the Taliban if they
don't tolerate variation of interpretation of Islam in the movement which could end up
with a violent conflict between the different parties. I'm convinced that they haven't agreed on
what kind of Afghanistan they want right now. There is a small window of hope if the international
community put force on the Taliban just make sure that the women and people
have their basic needs. Access to education, access to jobs. Access to freedom.
The slick, over production is so jarring in this