Who are the Taliban? Part 3: Why Taliban is not going to find it easy in second coming

Afghanistan is a country in permanent pursuit of balance. Bound to his religion, limited by his culture and broken in his past, Afghanistan is currently a legacy of eternity of chaos, disputes and foreign work. With America away, the government in chaos and the Taliban increases, Afghans must once again adapt to changes in circumstances. The series of three parts will explore those changes and try to describe the new political reality.

Part one will see the current Taliban leadership structure and how the organization is intrinsically related to the concept of theocratic state.

Part Two will discuss how the Taliban rules will have an impact on the Afghans and how the development or regression of human rights will be associated with differences in cultural sensitivity throughout the country.

Every year, Afghanistan observes ‘Massoud Day,’ a national holiday in honor of Ahmad Shah Massoud, known by his supporters as Lion Panjshir. Massoud was a legendary guerrilla commander who defended his Panjshir province his house from the Soviet so successful so Wall Street Journe described it as “Afghanistan who won the Cold War.” When the Taliban began their time of power into Afghanistan politics in 1994, Massoud openly denounced the group, citing his opposition to the interpretation of Islam and their regressive value system. He then created and led the famous northern alliance, a diverse coalition against the Taliban which at one point of territory controlled by housing more than 30 percent of the Afghan population. The man who is believed to have said, “We will never be a piece in other people’s matches,” standing on his land when all other resistance leaders fled from the country.

On September 9, 2001, two days before Al Qaeda’s attack on the twin towers, Massoud was killed. Then, the report appeared that he had been killed at the orders of Osama bin Laden who wanted to find help with the Taliban thus ensuring a safe place in Afghanistan after 9/11. Apart from the removeless location, Massoud’s funeral was attended by hundreds of thousands of people. He remembered not only for his military tactics but also because of his ability to unite ethnic groups that centuries of rulers failed to unite. People in the Panjshir valley continue to fight the Taliban even today.

For centuries, foreign and domestic leaders have tried to conquer Afghanistan but fail to suppress the strong will of the people. If history is a precedent, the Taliban, while the possibility of going to power, also tends to struggle to defend it. Given the lack of their governance experience and policies that can be seen there are three main challengers to rule the Taliban, namely, the government and Afghan security forces, foreign countries, and other competing groups. The ability of the challengers to cause strong and united opposition will determine how the Taliban maintain controls and presents themselves to the public, both in terms of leadership and policy.