The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan rattled the security dynamic of the region and created waves far beyond South Asia. Nineteen years after being ousted from power in Kabul by an American-led coalition, the movement surprised everyone by re-emerging unexpectedly, overrunning Afghanistan in a campaign that stunned both the Afghan government and foreign powers equally.
The disintegration of the national army and the expulsion of Western-backed leaders left Afghans staring into the stunned reversal of their destiny—some fleeing from airports in a frenzy, others steeling themselves for living under the familiar but detested government.
The Taliban, named such after the Pashto word for “students,” started to form in the early 1990s following the Soviet withdrawal. The movement was based primarily on youthful Pashtun men educated in Islamic madrasas, supported in most cases by Gulf money that fostered a strict brand of Sunni Islam. They came to power on a promise to bring an end to the turmoil that had ravaged Afghanistan during the years of civil war, promising stability, justice, and security for a war-fatigued people tired of corruption and constant violence.
Beginning from a base in the south, the Taliban soon snowballed. By 1995, they had captured Herat, and a year later, they invaded Kabul, ousting President Burhanuddin Rabbani. Within two years, they controlled most of the nation. Many Afghans at first embraced them for suppressing banditry and disorder, bringing a restored sense of order to roads and bazaars. But that rule came with dire conditions.
Public hangings, amputations, and strict social conventions were all the hallmarks of their regime. Beard-wearing was mandatory for men, head-to-toe dress for women, and school exclusion for girls. TV, music, and cinema were prohibited, and priceless cultural artifacts like the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed.
Militarily, the Taliban had become dependent on guerrilla warfare, shifting loyalties, and an intimate understanding of tribal politics and geography. Even confronted with raw foreign firepower, they were able to vanish, reassemble, and exhaust their enemies. Their gasp-stopping victory of 2021, taking the capital, Kabul, was less a shock offensive than a consequence of years of dogged determination, a negotiated departure of Western troops, and the weakness of the Afghan state itself.
Since coming back to power, the Taliban regime has preached what it practices, an unyielding vision of Islamic law. Critics have been silenced by intimidation or summary brutality, demonstrations suppressed, and women subjected to sweeping curbs once again. Most occupations are closed to them, education is tightly restricted, and their freedom of movement is strictly circumscribed. Taliban spokesmen have hinted at a gentler face, but stories of censorship, arrest, and savage punishment strike a different chord.
Its relationship with Pakistan continues to be the most contentious variable. That is where many of the early combatants gained their education within Pakistani madrassas, and Islamabad was the only state to officially endorse the original Taliban regime.
Rumors of covert aid persist, even if turned down at the highest level. Internationally, its past with al-Qaeda has stalled world legitimation. The assassination of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul instilled concerns that relations with militant groups around the world remain uncut.
Within Afghanistan itself, there is a grave economic and humanitarian crisis. Finances in the country began to disintegrate shortly after the coup, along with the freezing of billions abroad. With little aid and no common acceptance, millions are starving and impoverished. Hard-line elements among the Taliban resist reforms that would soften international pressure, especially on human rights and liberty. Absent compromise, the release of sorely needed funds and investment is impossible.
Afghanistan’s destiny is unclear. For some, the absence of perpetual war has been a blessing, but for many more, the price of isolation, oppression, and financial penury creeps into everyday life. Whether the Taliban can continue to hold power, govern an economy that is flourishing, and transition from insurgency to stable rule will not only decide the course of Afghanistan but the region as a whole.