Council of Councils
Think Global Health
Online Store
Video: Why the Taliban Endures
March 23, 2015 1:07 pm (EST)
- Explainer Video
This video is part of the Council on Foreign Relations’ InfoGuide Presentation, "The Taliban": http://www.cfr.org/taliban
The Taliban was toppled in Afghanistan in 2001 for harboring al-Qaeda, but it has not been defeated. With an estimated core of up to sixty thousand fighters, the Taliban remains the most vigorous insurgent group in Afghanistan and holds sway over civilians near its strongholds in the country’s south and east. It has also metastasized in neighboring Pakistan, where thousands of fighters in the country’s western tribal areas wage war against the government. Now, as the international combat mission in Afghanistan closes, the Taliban threatens to destabilize the region, harbor terrorist groups with global ambitions, and set back human rights and economic development in the areas where it prevails.