In afghanistans poppyrich south and southwest, a raging insurgency intersects a thriving opium trade. Religious figures, insurgency, and jihad in southern. Most interviewees believe that the presence of foreign forces in afghanistan. Transformation and the war in afghanistan strategic studies quarterly spring 2018 101 engagement roe to allow them, if necessary, to take offensive actions against the insurgency. Public support for alqaidas transnational jihadist movement, the taliban insurgency in afghanistan, the kurdistan workers party pkk in turkey, and the maoist insurgency in nepal is examined using a conceptual model that draws on social science and social movement theory. This essay examines the social and political roles of religious figures in southern afghanistan in an attempt to develop a more nuanced understanding of the present insurgency. The rise of afghanistans insurgency the belfer center for science. How opium rk profits the taliban united states institute.
Understanding the taliban and insurgency in afghanistan article pdf available in orbis 511. The common view of the taliban as simply a radical afghan islamist movement is overly simple, for that organization has been. Understanding and influencing public support for insurgency. It is increasingly difficult to locate where ownership, power, and accountability lie. There would also be a risk of the situation in the north deteriorating significantly in the meantime. Using and testing a conceptual model that draws on social science and particularly social movement theory, this volume examines public support for alqaidas transnational jihadist movement, the taliban insurgency in afghanistan, the kurdistan workers. The insurgency has spread to some degree over the durand line border to. Understanding war in afghanistan is an excellent book for journeyman students of afghanistan. The taliban and other insurgent groups enjoyed a sanctuary in the federally. Pashtutaliban actions against nato forces in afghanistan and in the tribal controlled areas of pakistan, the base for insurgency is increased power or representation from the masses, utilizing violence as a tool for either regime defeat or capitulation of a wide range and scope of demands.
Understanding the taliban and insurgency in afghanistan by. Cultural understanding doesnt just help you achieve your objectivesit helps you discover. Understanding the taliban and insurgency in afghanistan. Local ownership in peacebuilding operations in afghanistan marika theros december 2012 in afghanistan, political authority is fragmented across an array of external and internal actors, each with their own interests and agendas. Pashtu taliban actions against nato forces in afghanistan and in the tribal controlled areas of pakistan, the base for insurgency is increased power or representation from the masses, utilizing violence as a tool for either regime defeat or capitulation of a wide range and scope of demands. Barfield vividly describes how afghanistans armed factions plunged the country into a civil war, giving rise to clerical rule by the taliban and afghanistans isolation from the world. The taliban defeat of these elements during the 1990s was applauded by ordinary. This taliban logic for peace has been consistent, with the ideology viewed as a means to recruit fighters and, to some extent, to appeal for local support for the insurgency. Pdf the taliban insurgency in afghanistan organization. Afghanistans 34 provinces and controlling around a quarter of the countrys mobile phone coverage. Pdf afghanistan is in danger of capsizing in a perfect storm of insurgency that mimics operations and tactics witnessed in iraq. Helmand is notorious, if not for the flourishing narcotics trade, then for the taliban insurgency that dominates large swaths of territory. The related conflict in pakistan is known as war in northwest pakistan today. Pdf the aim of this report is to get a better understanding of the taliban movement and its role in the afghan insurgency post2001.
Abstract afghanistan is in danger of capsizing in a perfect storm of insurgency that mimics operations and tactics witnessed in iraq. Mason, understanding the taliban and insurgency in. This book examines counterinsurgency operations in afghanistan fol lowing the overthrow of the. The taliban s bases are in the countrys many farflung villages and remote valleys where there is little or no government presence. The taliban insurgency in afghanistan organization. Executive summary 78 indepth interviews were conducted with selfidentified afghan insurgents in baghlan, ghazni, helmand, kandahar, khost, kunar, kunduz, nangarhar, nimruz, nuristan, paktia, parwan, uruzgan, wardak, and zabul. The taliban insurgency remains resilient nearly two decades after u. The talibans bases are in the countrys many farflung villages and remote valleys where there is little or no government presence. Taliban taxes either coopt islamic finance concepts, such as oshr and zakat, or mimic official state systems. The advantage with the light footprint is that it can allow the us to maintain a. Following are the yearly figures on insurgentinitiated attacks in afghanistan.
Achieving the united states strategic objectives in afghanistan. Main findings islamic groups and afghan mullahs play a critical role in politics in southern afghanistan. Understanding why the taliban fight home assed baig. Pdf the history of afghanistan ebooks includes pdf. With the fall of the communist backed government in kabul, the various mujahideen groups that defeated the soviets began to fight amongst themselves, and the country came to be ruled by bandits and petty warlords. Understanding afghan insurgents motivations, goals, and. The coalitions lack of sufficient resources and a clear strategy has resulted. Understanding local ownership in peacebuilding operations. Understanding afghan insurgents motivations, goals, and the. But more than this, it creates an impression that the taliban would not accede to the presence of. This article assesses this insurgency and the reemergent taliban. The common view of the taliban as simply a radical afghan islamist movement is overly simple, for that organization has been a nation must think before it acts understanding the taliban and insurgency in afghanistan. The oxford english dictionary defines insurgency as a rebellion against authority for example, an authority recognized as such by the united nations when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents.
A persistent taliban presence outside of kabul indicates that the insurgency is fighting for more than remote district centers, and furthermore that it can regenerate itself and strengthen its military capability. Description of the us occupation of afghanistan from the foreign policy research institute. Understanding local ownership in peacebuilding operations in afghanistan marika theros december 2012 in afghanistan, political authority is fragmented across an array of external and internal actors, each with their own interests and agendas. The advantage with the light footprint is that it can allow the us to maintain a longerterm presence in afghanistan that, while not being. Religious figures, insurgency, and jihad in southern afghanistan. Understanding and influencing public support for insurgency and terrorism book description. Understanding the taliban more precisely could enable better u. Afghanistans taliban legitimate jihadists or coercive. The aim was to better understand insurgent motivations. Despite widespread recognition that the only way toward ending the taliban insurgency in afghanistan is a negotiated settlement, understanding of the talibans thinking on the subject is scant. Mar 11, 2020 since its ouster in 2001, the taliban has maintained its insurgency against the u. Understanding insurgency and counterinsurgency models to develop a path forward in afghanistan. This in turn can also help to create a better theoretical understanding of the mechanisms that explain obedience to authority, especially with regard to sources of substantive legitimacy in conflicttorn spaces. A bombing campaign against the taliban that was expected to last only a few days has instead continued for almost three weeks, with little indication.
The forever war what factors are driving afghanistans. But more than this, it creates an impression that the taliban would not accede to the presence of even a small number of american troops in afghanistan. He examines why the american invasion in the wake of september 11 toppled the taliban so quickly, and how this easy victory lulled the united states into. Afghanistan s 34 provinces and controlling around a quarter of the countrys mobile phone coverage. Understanding the taliban and insurgency in afghanistan by thomas h. Afghanistan is in danger of capsizing in a perfect storm of insurgency that mimics operations and tactics witnessed in iraq. The afghan taliban are trying to drive the united states and nato forces out of afghanistan, using pakistan as a base of operations. Taliban insurgency simple english wikipedia, the free. To encourage frankness, and for safety reasons, most interviews were nonattributable. It is worrisome that these fighters said they could travel to and from pakistan with relatively impunity, despite the. Interviewees were between the ages of 16 and 53 and varied considerably in educational and professional backgrounds. Indeed, under the current strategy of concentrating new forces in the south and east, the taliban will move the insurgency to the north. The aim of this report is to get a better understanding of the taliban movement and its role in the afghan insurgency post2001.
Information from its description page there is shown below. With this, the conflict in the region spread to pakistan. After the war in afghanistan in 2001, the taliban started an insurgency, which is known as the taliban insurgency. The talibans winning strategy in afghanistan carnegie endowment. Pdf understanding the taliban and insurgency in afghanistan. Wright and the contemporary operations study team, a different kind of war. Abstractafghanistan is in danger of capsizing in a perfect storm of insurgency that mimics operations and tactics witnessed in iraq. A successful outcome in afghanistan requires balancing tribal.
That means understanding their culture and engaging the afghans with respect to the system of governance that has worked for them in the past. Dangerous liaisons with the afghan taliban the web site cannot. The taliban forces are fighting against the afghan government, formerly led by president hamid karzai, now led by president ashraf ghani, and against the usled international security assistance force isaf. This is the primary driver of the insurgency in afghanistan. This thesis contends that there is an important set of interrelated social, cultural, religious, ethnic, tribal, historical, and geographic factors that must be considered to understand.
The taliban insurgency began after the groups fall from power following the 2001 war in afghanistan. The aim of this report is to get a better understanding of the taliban movement and its role in the. Any effective strategy for finding a political solution to the conflict needs, as a key initial step, to take this into account. They are committed to remove foreign forces and influence and to restore a more traditional and strictly islamic form of governance in afghanistan. The taliban many of whom returned home, did not fight the initial invasion, whilst the senior members fled to neighbouring pakistan rashid, 2012. The common view of the taliban as simply a radical afghan. Key to success in afghanistan is understanding the afghan mindset. The forever war what factors are driving afghanistans 17. We assume that the insurgency stems from three fundamental problems.
The importance of the opium production and smuggling has been touted as essential to the continuation of the taliban insurgency in todays media. Amisunderstanding of the insurgency is at the heart of the difficulties facing the international coalition in afghanistan. Analysis of taliban revenue and the importance of the opium trade to the insurgency open pdf 334 kb the current taliban insurgency in afghanistan has multiple funding sources. As a result, coalition forces have spread themselves out over vast areas with long and vulnerable lines of communication. The taliban started to attack the forces of isaf and nato, in afghanistan, and committed terrorist attacks. The common view of the taliban as simply a radical afghan islamist movement is overly simple, for that organization has been able to build on tribal kinship networks and a charismatic mullah. This monograph was defended by the degree candidate on 9 march 2009 and approved by the monograph director and reader named below. This study examines how the taliban profit from narcotics, probes how traffickers influence the strategic goals of the insurgency, and considers the extent to which narcotics are changing the nature of the insurgency itself.