Afghanistan in chaos/ Who are the Taliban, how they finance and what they want

The fundamentalist force seeking to install Islamic law has spread throughout the country, crossing one city after another and settling in Kabul after the United States has withdrawn troops this summer.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are leaving, causing a humanitarian crisis. Those left are counting on the restoration of extremist rule under the Taliban interpretation of Islam. Militants have closed girls' schools, banned intelligent phones in some countries, and forced youths to join their ranks.

What are Taliban?

The Taliban were first established in power in Afghanistan in the 1990s, formed by guerrilla warriors who expelled Soviet forces with support from the CIA and Pakistani intelligence services.

Most of their members are also, the largest ethnic group in the country. The founder, Mohammad Omar, a commander in anti-Soviet resistance, began moving to 1994 in the southeastern city of Kandahar, which was plagued by crime and violence. The Taliban vision of justice helped them to amass power.

In the fall of 1996, the Taliban conquered Kabul and declared the country an Islamic emissary. The Taliban were brutal and oppressive. Women practically had no rights, were banned from education, and were forced to wear clothes that covered their whole body. Music and other media forms were banned.

The Taliban's idealology was similar to that of her al-Qaeda counterpart, though her interests were limited to the rule of Afghanistan, reports The Washington Post.

In exchange for assistance to war groups linked to the nation's government, Taliban leaders sheltered Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda members involved in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

A US-led coalition collapsed the regime later that year. In late July 2015, the Afghan government confirmed that Omar had died in April 2013 in Karachi, Pakistan.

How did the Taliban regain their strength?

After they were defeated, the Taliban scattered. Some leaders found a place in Pakistan where they began to strengthen with the help of the Pakistani security institution.

In Afghanistan, the American forces' presence helped the Taliban make an anti-colonial appeal to recruits. So did the corrupt in the Afghan government.

Militants also fulfilled their positions through a campaign of fear and violence. People who were registered with police forces or national armies were killed. Public intellectuals, journalists, media figures and others representing Afghanistan's new civilian society were also targeted.

How are the Taliban financed and armed?

The Taliban receive their funds from various sources. Some money comes from the opium trade and the sale of drugs or other crimes like smuggling. Tax crews and extortion farms and other businesses. Militants sometimes engage in ransom kidnappings. The group also receives donations from a broad group supporting its cause or seeing it as a useful asset, experts said.

What is the purpose of the Taliban?

The Taliban's goal is simple, experts said: to regain what the group lost in the early 2000s.

“They want their Islamic adoption to return to power,” said Crews. “They want their vision of Islamic law. ”

He continued: “They do not want a parliament. They don't want electoral policy. They have an emir and they have a mullah council, and this is the vision they see as the best for Islam. ”

There doesn't seem to be a single Taliban leader, but the group seems to have some key leaders.

If life under Taliban rule is the same as in the 1990s, it remains unclear. There is little doubt that the group wants to limit women in their homes, end mixed gender education and turn a society with Islamic law into the centre.

But a civil society has flourished in the past two decades. Women have taken public office not only in Kabul but also in smaller towns. Mobile phones and social media are common. Experts now question whether the Taliban will be able to govern a changing population.