WMWG Part 4; 1994

1994...

·         During all this commotion, the civil wars between the rival ethnic groups trying to control the drug trade was still going on. “Checkpoints” were popping up everywhere along major roads and highways. (A drug checkpoint is basically when a group of people flag your car down and force you to give them cash money, for drugs and the like.)

·         When Mohammed Omar was stopped at 5 different checkpoints on the same road, he became infuriated. Omar wanted to take down the checkpoints and stop the extortion. And this was basically how the Taliban was created. Omar went to the holy men of the surrounding villages – “Students of Islam” and told them they needed to help take down these checkpoints. So they helped. Also, the warlords were into child sex slavery, so when Omar went and killed the warlords he’d go and free all the children as well. Many locals began offering the Taliban to help with their other disputes. Omar was seen kind of like a Robin Hood figure. He told people he didn’t want any reward or credit, just that people follow him to set up a just Islamic System in Afghanistan.

My head started spinning when I read this. I have never in my 16 years of life heard that the Taliban used to be good people (Well, good intentions first off...)

·         Where did this sudden martyr come from? Well apparently Omar had a vision where Allah chose him as the one person to bring peace to Afghanistan.

·         During all of these wars young boys with their families fled as refugees to Pakistan. Well, Omar went over there and recruited young boys and men to join the cause.

·         Pakistan’s ISI (Like the CIA) funded and supported the Taliban during this time. The Why? Pakistan saw the Taliban as an effective need against internal aggression. Also they wanted the Taliban to stop the checkpoints and warlords on the Afghan highways (Pakistan had a lot of trucking companies that drove on these roads frequently).

·         By killing and driving away the Mujahedeen warlords, the Taliban received more money from Pakistan and ultimately controlled this entire province.