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Taliban
The Taliban since 2001.
Analysis
The reconstitution of al-Qaeda:Losing Afghanistan and western Pakistan, Ahmed Rashid, Himal South Asian, September 2008
"Seven years on, the US-led war on terrorism has left in its wake a far more unstable world than existed on that momentous day: 11 September 2001. Rather than diminishing, the threat from al-Qaeda and its affiliates has grown, engulfing new regions of Africa, Asia and Europe and creating fear among peoples and governments from Australia to Zanzibar. In the region that spawned al-Qaeda and which the US has promised to transform after 9/11, the crisis is even more dangerous. Afghanistan is once again staring down the abyss of state collapse, despite billions of dollars in aid, 45,000 Western troops, and the deaths of thousands of people. The Taliban have made a dramatic comeback, enlisting the help of al-Qaeda and Islamic extremists in Pakistan, and getting a boost from the explosion in heroin production that has helped fund their movement."
Who are the militants in Afghanistan? Pam O'Toole, BBC News, 18 August 2006
Concise 2006 account of the Taliban and other major Islamic opposition groups.
The best compilation on many categories relating to the Afghanistan conflict. Ceased updating some tags mid-2007, but remains useful.
The Taliban - MPALS, National Defense University
Military Policy Awareness Links collection of recent papers.
Afghanistan, South Asia Analysis Group
SAAG frequently publishes detailed short articles on current Taliban questions, especially by the prolific B.Raman. While the SAAG website's main homepage is non-functional, the cached version on Google works.
On the Edge of the Big Muddy: The Taliban Resurgence in Afghanistan, Thomas H. Johnson, China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly, May 2007.
Major analysis of Taliban resurgence, ethnic issues on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and the impact of civilian casualties. Very useful maps.
"Only through a proper understanding of the motivations and multiple identities that the Taliban lays claim to can their rapidly-growing insurgency be defeated and peace reestablished. By examining the historical and tribal facets of the insurgency, the nature of the Taliban is laid bare. This understanding is absolutely critical if the U.S. and NATO hope to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people."
Dadullah's Death: Set-Back For Neo Taliban & Possibly Al Qaeda, B. Raman, International Terrorism Monitor, SAAG, Paper No. 233, 14 May 2007
Detailed paper on Dadullah.
Afghanistan Five Years Later: The Return of the Taliban, Senlis Council, 2006
Detailed report by Canadian NGO with strong local reporting.
Afghanistan: Contradictions Hint At Division Within Neo-Taliban, Amin Tarzi, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 15 September 2006.
"Media efforts have intensified by the various elements that oppose the post-Taliban government in Afghanistan. The stepped-up public campaign of the so-called neo-Taliban has accompanied increased insurgency and terrorism efforts by those same guerrillas. But while they have managed to convey their messages with greater frequency, their pronouncements have sometimes been marked by glaring contradictions. While inconsistencies are not new to the neo-Taliban, their recent frequency suggests strains could reemerge between Afghan opponents of the central government and their foreign allies."
The Taliban Resurgence in Afghanistan, Eben Kaplan, Backgrounder, Council on Foreign Relations, Updated: May 30, 2006
Brief US account of the Taliban past and present.
Better paid, better armed, better connected - Taliban rise again, Declan Walsh, Guardian, September 16, 2006
"Kandahar under threat, war raging in two provinces and an isolated president. So what went wrong?" Useful account of Taliban resurgence.
Afghanistan: Who Exactly Is The Enemy? Amin Tarzi, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 23 November 2005
“Afghan President Hamid Karzai on 12 November repeated calls for the armed opposition to his government to join a national-reconciliation program that he has championed, on and off, since early 2003. Karzai chose a gathering of provincial officials at a meeting of the Commission for Strengthening Peace and Stability as the setting for his latest plea to militants. (That commission is alternatively known as the Independent National Commission for Peace in Afghanistan, or simply as the "Peace Commission.") Coming as it does in the deadliest year since the demise of the Taliban regime, the plea highlights the fact that the success of the Afghan leader's tack on reconciliation is open to debate.”
South and Central Asian Para-Military Groups, GlobalSecurity.org
Listing of major opposition groups in the region.
Taliban movement, Wikipedia
Wide-ranging but uneven account of the Taliban since 2001. Useful links to other, often solid, related Wikipedia entries.
List of Taliban leaders, Wikipedia
Comprehensive tabular listing of Taliban leaders, military commanders, former government officials.
Afghanistan: geography of the Taliban, Federico Tomasone, Equilibri, 13 April 2007
“The movement led by the students from the Deoband madras’s no longer exists. If it is an error to believe that Mullah Omar and his followers have been defeated it is equally true that the “Talib” movement has changed over the years. The media promotes the birth of the 'neo Taliban', how can this movement be defined and what are the differences in respect to the past?”
See also
- Afghanistan - politics, Australia in Afghanistan
- Al Qaeda - Afghanistan, Australia in Afghanistan
- Casualties - non-government, Australia in Afghanistan
- Peace negotiations and truces in Afghanistan, Australia in Afghanistan
- Warlords and militia leaders, Australia in Afghanistan