Yuvika Goyal

IX D

THE TALIBAN
RETURN TO
POWER
 The Taliban in Afghanistan
The Taliban returned to power in
Afghanistan in 2021, twenty years after
their ouster by U.S. troops. Under their
harsh rule, they have cracked down on
women’s rights and neglected basic
services
What has the Taliban’s return to power meant for the
rights of women and other Afghans?
How has the world responded to the Taliban?
 Who leads Taliban?

 The government is led by a thirty-three-member

caretaker cabinet.
 A majority are ethnic Pashtuns, and some are considered
terrorists by the United States and are sanctioned by the United
Nations.
 How were the Taliban formed?

The movement attracted popular support in the

initial post-Soviet era by promising to impose
stability and rule of law after four years of
conflict (1992–96) among rival mujahideen
groups.
 Do Afghans support the Taliban?
As intra-Afghan peace talks stalled in early 2021,
an overwhelming majority surveyed said it was
important to protect women’s rights, freedom of
speech, and the constitution.
 What is the state of the Taliban’s
finances?
 The Taliban primarily earned revenue through
criminal activities, including opium poppy
cultivation, drug trafficking, extortion of local
businesses, and kidnapping, according to the
UN monitoring group
Do any groups threaten the Taliban’s
power?
In addition, a resistance movement of former officials,
local militia members, and Afghan security forces who
call themselves the National Resistance Front formed
to oppose the Taliban’s rule, though analysts say the
group is currently not strong enough to threaten the
Taliban’s control.