The TaliBans

The Taliban is a movement of Islamic fundamentalists that rules Afghanistan. This movement emerged from a network of religious schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan during the Afghans' fight against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s. Many of the Taliban's fighters were trained by the American CIA, which was seeking to defeat the Soviets. Bin Laden also provided financial and moral support to these fighters and helped them build roads and tunnels.

After civil war engulfed Afghanistan in the early 1990s, the Taliban overwhelmed its rivals and took power in late 1996, imposing a harsh form of Islamic law. Women were barred from working and Western music was banned. Because of its extreme policies, the Taliban government was recognized only by three countries in the world. Bin Laden moved to Afghanistan around this time and the Taliban welcomed him as a guest. In 1998, the Taliban rejected demands from the United States that it turn over bin Laden.