Taliban Terror Rules Afghanistan

Initially, everyone thought the Taliban Islamic Reform Movement had very good intentions.

They claimed that they were going to rid Afghanistan of its problems and restore order.

Mullah Mohammad Omar started the Taliban movement in 1994 in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.

The Taliban forces are mostly composed of soldiers trained in Pakistan, most of whom are Afghani men who went to religious schools in Pakistan during the Soviet war, but there are also Pakistani men among them. Soon after the Taliban Islamic Reform Movement seized power, it began to show a far more ominous side. Ultimately, they proved to be ultra-fundamentalists who wanted only seize control of the government, and impose tyranny on its citizens. Since their takeover and seizure of Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, on September 27, 1996, the Taliban reign has brought only destruction and oppression to the country and its citizens.

Not long after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they brought swift and major changes to the lives of Afghani citizens. Men were required to grow a beard, and pray five times each day. But this was almost negligible compared to the treatment of women by the Taliban.

Prior to the Taliban's takeover, most Afghani women were both educated and employed. Fifty percent of all pre-Taliban rule students in the country were female, and fully sixty percent of the teachers at the university in Kabul were women. Seventy percent of the country's school teachers were women. At least fifty percent of the civilian government workers were women. Before the Taliban takeover, about forty percent of Afghani doctors were women. Until the Taliban seized control of the Afghani government, women were allowed to work, to earn and control their own money, and to participate in public life. All that has changed. Under the Taliban regime, women are forbidden to work outside the home; and no female is allowed to go to school or university. Every woman is now forced to wear a burqa, a garment which is basically a large white blanket that covers the entire body with only a small mesh opening over the face to allow the wearer to see and breath. Women can not leave their homes unless accompanied by a close male relative. Homes with women must have their windows painted opaque to hide them from view. Women are forbidden to wear white socks and their shoes must not make any sound when they walk. Male doctors are not allowed to examine women. Since no women are allowed to work as doctors now, this results in no health care at all for women and girls. All of these changes were made within a few days of the Taliban's takeover. A great many women are now very depressed and ill, and can receive no help. It's said the suicide rate for women has increased dramatically, though authorities in the Taliban will not confirm this.

The Taliban is given a substantial amount of financial support by Saudi Arabia, and receives military aid from Pakistan. It is also said that a major source of their income comes from the lucrative opium poppy trade. Afghanistan is one of the largest suppliers of opium.

Pakistan was the first nation to recognize the Taliban as the ruling power in Afghanistan, and was soon followed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Taliban are now in control of at least two-thirds of Afghanistan, making them the predominant political power in Afghanistan today.

Many women have been killed or beaten for disobeying any of the strict new rules. One woman was beaten to death because her arm was accidentaly exposed while driving. Another woman was stoned to death because she tried to leave the country without a male relative. Girls in the orphanage located in the capital, Kabul, have not been allowed outside since 1996 while boys get to go out and play every day.