The Taliban movement was primarily composed of students and religious teachers who had previously attended the madrassas, or religious schools, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “Taliban”, an Arabic term for students, fought alongside the rest of the Mujahideen against the Soviets. After the Soviet evacuation, most of them returned to their teaching roles at the madrassas. However, among the Mujahideen groups, a terrible civil war erupted, plunging the country into anarchy, turmoil, and barbarism, all of which were instigated by the nation’s perceived freedom fighters.

The Taliban founders believed that the once-holy Islamic heroes had transformed into corrupt traitors and required elimination. Mullah Muhammad Umar, the founder and supreme leader of the Taliban, and his supporters staged an armed struggle to free the people from deadly hostilities and to provide stability and safety across the land in response to the havoc of the civil war in Afghanistan. The Taliban movement quickly gained the praise and admiration of the people who were tyrranised by exploitation and abuse at the hands of the Afghan warlords. It overwhelmed the brutal and corrupt outfits involved in the injustices and oppression enforced on the people.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

Once in power, the Taliban seemed less competent in governance than fighting.

The Taliban shut down all schools, including those explicitly run for girls. Boys were permitted only religious study at madrassas. Nevertheless, several Afghans taught their children secretly at home using contemporary educational standards.

The emergence of the Taliban caused great political unrest among the different communities, which prompted significant migration. Some of the most talented workforce, such as doctors, nurses, technicians and tradespeople, left the country early and settled most successfully. Moreover, the Taliban policy of separating women and eliminating them from the workforce meant that female medical professionals were unable to practice or study. That policy had a dreadful effect on the treatment of women in general and maternal healthcare in particular.