The Taliban, a hardline Islamist group that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, has been waging a violent insurgency against the Afghan government and its foreign allies for the past two decades. In recent months, the Taliban has intensified its offensive, taking advantage of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country. According to various sources, the Taliban has captured more than half of Afghanistan’s 421 districts, including key areas in the north and south of the country .
The Taliban’s rapid advance has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis and a return to the brutal rule that the group imposed when it was in power. The Taliban has been accused of committing human rights violations, such as restricting women’s rights, banning education and entertainment, and imposing harsh punishments for dissenters. The Taliban has also been linked to al-Qaeda, the terrorist network that carried out the 9/11 attacks in the US, which triggered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 .
The Afghan government and its security forces have been struggling to contain the Taliban’s onslaught, despite receiving billions of dollars of aid and training from the international community. Many Afghan soldiers and police have surrendered or fled their posts, leaving behind weapons and equipment that have fallen into the hands of the insurgents. Some Afghan troops have crossed the border into neighboring Tajikistan to escape the fighting . The Afghan government has also called on local militias and former warlords to help defend their territories against the Taliban .
The situation in Afghanistan remains fluid and uncertain, as peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have stalled. The US and its allies have pledged to continue supporting the Afghan government diplomatically and financially, but have ruled out any military intervention. The fate of Afghanistan and its people now depends largely on whether the Taliban and the government can reach a political settlement, or whether the country will descend into a full-scale civil war .
