Gathering Strength:. Peggy Kelsey

Afghans were killed and thousands more imprisoned during the horrific Soviet occupation from 1979 to 1989. Soviet bombing raids demolished entire villages in retaliation for being, or based on the supposition of being, mujahidin hideouts. Most of the destruction occurred in rural areas and provincial cities.

      In 1989, the Soviet Army withdrew and the US cut off military aid to its erstwhile Afghan allies. This left a power vacuum. Mujahidin who had worked together to fight the Soviets now went at each other’s throats over control of the country. A power-sharing agreement was reached, but soon fell apart, engulfing the country in civil war.

      This war was concentrated in Kabul. The capital sits on a flat plain surrounded by hills. In effect, Burhanuddin Rabbani would station himself on one hill, Hekmatyar on another, and they would fire rockets at each other over the city. The majority of the missiles landed randomly in Kabul, but Hekmatyar also purposely targeted areas populated by Afghans who had worked for the Soviets. In addition, groups of fighters roamed the city, killing each other and anyone who got in their way. Women were routinely captured and raped or forced into marriage.

      One story²¹ about the origins of the Taliban tells of an incident near Kandahar. Neighbors told Mullah Omar²², at the time a village mullah who ran a madrassa, that a nearby militia commander had abducted and raped two teenage girls. He led 30 talibs in an attack on the warlord’s base and captured a large supply of arms in addition to freeing the girls. A few months later, they rescued a young boy who was being fought over by two lusty commanders. However, their role of protecting women and children against evil-doers was short-lived.

      In 1994, chaos reigned throughout the country while mujahidin rockets fell mostly on Kabul. By the end of that year, factions led by rival warlords had divided Kandahar. They stripped the city of anything of value, including copper wire and machinery; they stole anything that could be sold. The warlords seized homes and farms, robbed merchants, and kidnapped girls and boys to use for sex. Checkpoints operated by various factions, as well as independent bandits, lined the roads to shake down travelers.

      This anarchy, and especially the roadblocks, became intolerable to the transport cartel that brought goods between foreign markets and those in Kandahar and Herat. The cartel paid Mullah Omar to rid them of the bandit plague that was shaking down truckers and other travelers. As a result, Mullah Omar’s Taliban attacked Hekmatyar’s base in the border town of Spin Baldak in October, 1994, and transferred control of that important truckstop to the cartel.

      A medical supply convoy from Pakistan was robbed by other militia commanders later that month. Pakistan invited the Taliban to come to the rescue. After defeating the hijackers, the Taliban moved on to Kandahar, and within two days won control of the entire city. Among their spoils were tanks, transport helicopters, and several MIG aircraft left over from the Soviet occupation. The local people were very grateful to the "Robin Hoods" who rescued them from the feuding warlords’ rapacious grip. By December, 1994, 12,000 Afghan and Pakistani students had joined the Taliban, and within three months they had taken control in 12 of Afghanistan’s 31 provinces and seized the attention of the world.²³

      Who were these talibs? In the beginning they were all children of the jihad. Some had lost their entire families and been invited to the madrassas²⁴ to study. Others had been born in refugee camps along the border. Madrassa representatives came to the camps, offering free schooling and room and board to young boys, pleasing parents whose sons then had a chance at education, while they had one less mouth to feed. From a very young age, talibs were sequestered from women and taught the Quran and Islamic law by fundamentalist teachers. Students learned that women are a temptation, a distraction from service to God. In many schools, boys were "educated" without having ever studied math, science, geography, or history. As a result, even as adults, their thinking was simplistic and puritanical, and they had no acquired trades or skills except for those who had learned how to fight.

      The Taliban enjoyed popular support in the beginning. They brought peace and security to the war-drained citizens and imposed what they saw as the true Islam. In 1994, the people in the places they controlled were relieved to have the fighting end and order restored. Once the Taliban had captured a city, they left "good Muslims" behind to enforce their rules and moved on. They made decisions by consensus, sometimes after long debates. By 1996, however, as they neared their goal of controlling the entire country, they became increasingly dictatorial and inaccessible. As Mullah Omar’s power grew, he became more introverted and secretive, and his organization more ruthless and autocratic, like the communists, warlords, and mujahidin before them.

      For the next several years, the Taliban fought different mujahidin commanders across the country. In September, 1996, the Taliban took Kabul. Eight months later, Pakistan recognized the Taliban government, even though it was still struggling to control parts of Afghanistan. In fact, while the Taliban were in power, they never controlled the entire nation. At their peak, only about 80-90% of Afghanistan was under their purview. Some areas never stopped fighting against them, especially where the Northern Alliance held sway.

      When the Taliban took over Kabul, all girls’ schools were shut down and female teachers at boys’ schools were fired, resulting in the closure of many boys’ schools for lack of instructors. Men were given a mere six weeks to grow full beards. All festivities were restricted, including weddings and even Islamic feasts. Repressive, brutally enforced edicts were issued, banning women from most civic and public life and restricting them personally by disallowing the use of fashionable clothes, makeup, and even noisy shoes. The only country to stand up against the Taliban at that time was Iran.²⁵

      Afghanistan’s annual production of opium from 1992-1995 ranged between 2000-3400 metric tons, according to the UN Drugs Control Program (UNDCP). By 1996, when the Taliban controlled most of the country, it was projected to be 2200 metric tons. It rose by 400 tons in 1997 and reached 4600 metric tons by 1999.²⁶

      Initially, the Taliban proclaimed Islamic approval for opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) production, rationalizing that it was used by infidel foreigners and not by Muslim Afghans. Following this logic, they then banned marijuana (Cannabis sativa) cultivation; marijuana-derived hashish was a traditional intoxicant. Such intoxication, along with other festivities, was no longer permitted in the belief that it would distract Muslims from God. The 20% tax the Taliban levied on opium dealers helped fund their own expansion. By the end of 1997, opium-filled cargo planes were heading for Arabian Gulf ports. When Pakistan cracked down on heroin production on their side of the border, the labs moved into Afghanistan.²⁷

      Once the Taliban controlled Kabul, they hungered for international recognition. Mullah Omar petitioned the UN and the US for recognition of the Taliban government in exchange for ending poppy cultivation. He was ignored.

      The Northern Alliance held Afghanistan’s seat at the UN General Assembly. In a bid to strengthen their own claim of legitimacy, in July, 2000, the Taliban began to vigorously enforce a poppy ban. Pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both heavy Taliban supporters, played a critical role as well in the decision to stop poppy cultivation.

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