Taliban: The Power of Militant Islam in Afghanistan and Beyond

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A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Following the U.S-Taliban peace deal of February 2020 - and the U.S's promised withdrawal from Afghanistan - the Taliban began terrorizing Afghan security forces, civilians and the government in Kabul. By August 2021, the group had seized control of the entire country. Taliban is a New York Times bestseller by the award-winning journalist Ahmed Rashid. Now considered a modern classic, the book provides rare insight into the history of the Taliban, their political movement, their leaders and their aims. This authoritative account is renowned for being able to explain one of the world's most extreme organizations from their inception in northern Pakistan in the early 1990s to their rise to power. In doing so, Rashid closely details their impact on Afghanistan, the Middle East and Central Asia, and how and why the Taliban spread, including their relationship with both Al-Qaeda and the U.S. The book has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 40 languages. This third edition marks twenty years since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and the author adds a new introduction to reflect on how the group regained their strength, the humanitarian crisis, and what Taliban rule is likely to mean for the region and the world. Cover Halftitle page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS Dedication FOREWORD TO THE THIRD EDITION PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO THE FIRST EDITION Maps INTRODUCTION: AFGHANISTAN’S HOLY WARRIORS Part 1 History of the Taliban Movement 1 KANDAHAR 1994: THE ORIGINS OF THE TALIBAN 2 HERAT 1995: GOD’S INVINCIBLE SOLDIERS 3 KABUL 1996: COMMANDER OF THE FAITHFUL 4 MAZAR-E-SHARIF 1997: MASSACRE IN THE NORTH 5 BAMIYAN 1998–99: THE NEVER-ENDING WAR Part 2 Islam and the Taliban 6 CHALLENGING ISLAM: THE NEW-STYLE FUNDAMENTALISM OF THE TALIBAN 7 SECRET SOCIETY: THE TALIBAN’S POLITICAL AND MILITARY ORGANIZATION 8 A VANISHED GENDER: WOMEN, CHILDREN AND TALIBAN CULTURE 9 HIGH ON HEROIN: DRUGS AND THE TALIBAN ECONOMY 10 GLOBAL JIHAD: THE ARAB-AFGHANS AND OSAMA BIN LADEN Part 3 The New Great Game 11 DICTATORS AND OIL BARONS: THE TALIBAN AND CENTRAL ASIA, RUSSIA, TURKEY AND ISRAEL 12 ROMANCING THE TALIBAN 1: THE BATTLE FOR PIPELINES 1994–96 13 ROMANCING THE TALIBAN 2: THE BATTLE FOR PIPELINES 1997–99 – THE USA AND THE TALIBAN 14 MASTER OR VICTIM: PAKISTAN’S AFGHAN WAR 15 SHIA VERSUS SUNNI: IRAN AND SAUDI ARABIA 16 CONCLUSION: THE FUTURE OF AFGHANISTAN 17 THE TALIBAN RESURGENT 2000–2009 Appendix 1 A sample of Taliban decrees relating to women and other cultural issues, after the capture of Kabul, 1996 Appendix 2 Structure of the Taliban Appendix 3 A CHRONOLOGY OF THE TALIBAN Appendix 4 The New Great Game Appendix 5 Glossary of Afghan terms Appendix 6 2021 CABINET LIST FOR TALIBAN Bibliography Notes Index