The+Taliban+Today


 * Group Members: Atara, Danni, Christine, Jesse


 * __ Leaders and Goals of the Taliban __**

Leaders of the Taliban
 * Very unclear as to who these leaders are
 * Many of these leaders were either captured or were killed

Mullah Muhammed Omar (Senior Leader)
 * No aproximate date of birth 1959 near Kandahar, Afghanistan
 * Pashtun
 * Fought against the Soviet in 1989-1992 (lost his right eye)
 * Currently M.I.A. (Pakistan)

Four Leadership Structure *Shura- discussing Islamic principles 1. Inner Shura- 23 Taliban leaders

2. Outer Shura- 100 memebers looks over the Inner Shura

3. Caretaker Council- Headed by Mullah Muhammed Rabbani (Deputy Leader) and Mullah Muhammed Omar. Enforces/creates policies 4. Ulema Shura- 24 memebers influence social policies and informs Mullah Omar of the Islamic Laws

Taliban's Goals
 * Abide by Islamic Laws
 * Unite the country/Pashtuns
 * Live their lives like the Prophet Muhammed 1400 years ago

Joining the Taliban
 * Economic Reasons
 * Men were living in refugee camps
 * Many were forced
 * A chance to avenge the killings of family/friends who died because of Pakistani, US or Coalition military attack.


 * __ Location, Current Events __**


 * Locations of current Taliban leaders are not known for sure
 * Many leaders have been captured or killed
 * Primarily by American Coalition forces
 * Some by Parkistan and Afghan forces.
 * Most captures were from 2003-2004.
 * deemed enemy combatants on "war or terror"
 * hideout locations
 * Peshawar, Pakistan
 * Quetta, Pakistan
 * Orūzgān Province, Afghanistan
 * Taliban Control
 * Afghanistan [[image:blah.png]]
 * Indications that Taliban control has continued to spread throughout Afghanistan
 * "Permanent presence" in more that 80% of Afghanistan (72% in 2008, 54% in 2007)
 * Lately, the most significant increase of taliban control is in the north (Kunduz and Balkh) which were previously relative stable.
 * Pakistan
 * Mostly only operate in northwest Pakistan
 * Headquarters is in Quetta, Pakistan
 * Recent Violence
 * Taliban responsible for 76% of civilian casualties in Afghanistan in 2009
 * Loyalty from Suicide bombers
 * Rec﻿ent attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers of govenment and civilian buildings
 * Frequent attacks killing relatively few people.
 * September polls marred by Taliban.
 * violence, fraud, and severe delay in results.
 * in 2009, Baitullah Mehsud, commander of the Taliban in Pakistan claimed, "Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world.", elaborating that the white house is a main target.


 * __ Funding __**


 * Drug Trade
 * Opium poppies are a traditional crop in Afghanistan, and, with the war shattering other sectors of the economy, opium became its largest export.
 * In 2000 Afghanistan's opium production accounted for 75% of the world's supply.
 * On July 27, 2000, the Taliban issued a banning on cultivation.
 * By February 2001, production had reportedly been reduced from 12,600 acres to only 17 acres.
 * Opium production was reportedly cut back by the Taliban not to prevent its use, but to increase its price, and thus increase the income of Afghan poppy farmers and tax revenue.


 * U.S.A. Making Strides Toward Peace
 * Direct secret conversations have been opened between senior Taliban leaders and the Obama Administration.
 * The New Yorker has reported that these Taliban leaders are involved with the insurgency in Afghanistan.
 * The discussions have supposedly taken on an "exploratory nature" and there has not been any progress toward peace negotiations yet.


 * __ The Status of the Fight Against the Taliban __**


 * Village to village
 * Troops go into the villages that the Taliban take refuge in, clearing the village of the Taliban through bombing, air strikes, and combat
 * In the attempt to kill the Taliban, villages and property are often destroyed and sometime civilians are killed by accident. (Still, the Taliban kills more civilians than the U.S. does)
 * When troops arrive, and the fighting begins, the villagers wait to see who is winning and then side with the winner. After winning battles against the Taliban, the people start tipping the troops off to where the rest of the Taliban are hiding and what they'e up to
 * Troops involved in many public works project to win over the people. Schools built, irrigation built, police trained, and local governments established
 * Gradually waning
 * The constant attacks cause the upper management of the Taliban to flee to Pakistan. Without the presence of the leaders, the Taliban and their attacks are getting sloppier
 * Encampments are constantly pummeled by UAV drones and troops. Taliban fight back with surprise attacks, ambushes, and makeshift bombs
 * UAV attacks alone have killed about a thousand people in the last 3 years. About 30% were civilians because the Taliban use their wives and children, and other civilians, as human shields
 * Taliban still have power to recruit, but not the power to train
 * The Price
 * Civilain deaths are a constant reality
 * War has cost approximately 382 trillion dollars.Nearly 30% of taxes goes towards defense, for the War in Afghanistan and others