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Taliban | ORGANIZATION

 

The Taliban (Pashto: طالبان ṭālibān, also anglicised as Taleban; translation: "students") is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Pashtun movement that governed Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when its leaders were removed from power by Northern Alliance and NATO forces. It has regrouped and since 2004 revived as a strong insurgency movement fighting a guerrilla war against the current government of Afghanistan, allied NATO forces participating in Operation Enduring Freedom, and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It operates in Afghanistan and the Frontier Tribal Areas of Pakistan.

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Photos 

Pakistani schoolchildren look at a site of Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Pakistani schoolchildren look at a site of Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

Pakistani police officers stand alert at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Pakistani police officers stand alert at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

A Pakistani police officer searches a man at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

A Pakistani police officer searches a man at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

Pakistani shopkeepers work in their shop damaged in Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Pakistani shopkeepers work in their shop damaged in Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

Afghans take the winning dog out of the pitch following a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

Afghans take the winning dog out of the pitch following a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

Afghans take the winning dog out of the pitch following a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

Afghans take the winning dog out of the pitch following a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

A dog bites another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

A dog bites another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

Dogs are unleashed during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

Dogs are unleashed during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

Dogs tussle during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

Dogs tussle during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

A dog bites the neck of another canine during a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

This image provided by the Department of Defense shows Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visiting the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday March 11, 2010. Gates said Thursday that Iranian support for the Taliban in Afghanistan is "pretty limited" _ so far.

This image provided by the Department of Defense shows Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visiting the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday March 11, 2010. Gates said Thursday that Iranian support for the Taliban in Afghanistan is "pretty limited" _ so far.

Department of Defense 

This image provided by the Department of Defense shows Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visiting the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday March 11, 2010. Gates said Thursday that Iranian support for the Taliban in Afghanistan is "pretty limited" _ so far.

This image provided by the Department of Defense shows Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visiting the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday March 11, 2010. Gates said Thursday that Iranian support for the Taliban in Afghanistan is "pretty limited" _ so far.

Department of Defense 

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai prepares for a joint news conference with Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, unseen, at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai prepares for a joint news conference with Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, unseen, at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

AP 

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai speaks at a joint news conference with Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, unseen, at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai speaks at a joint news conference with Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, unseen, at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

AP 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, right, welcomes Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai for bilateral talks at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, right, welcomes Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai for bilateral talks at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

AP 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, right, addresses a joint news conference with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, right, addresses a joint news conference with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

AP 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, right, addresses a joint news conference with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, right, addresses a joint news conference with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai at the prime minister's official residence and office, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 11, 2010. Karzai said Pakistan has an "important" role to play in peace talks with the Taliban.

AP 

Pakistani schoolchildren look at a site of Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Pakistani schoolchildren look at a site of Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

Pakistani police officers stand alert at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Pakistani police officers stand alert at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

A Pakistani police officer searches a man at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

A Pakistani police officer searches a man at a checkpoint in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010, a day after suicide bombings. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

Pakistani shopkeepers work in their shop damaged in Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

Pakistani shopkeepers work in their shop damaged in Friday's suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, March 13, 2010. The militants, a network of Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaida and affiliated smaller groups, launched a bloody wave of bombings last fall across Pakistan, leaving hundreds of people dead in near-daily attacks in apparent retaliation for an army offensive against the insurgents' main stronghold, in the tribal region of South Waziristan along the Afghan border.

AP 

Afghans take the winning dog out of the pitch following a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

Afghans take the winning dog out of the pitch following a dog fighting match in the outskirts of Kabul on March 12, 2010. Dogfighting, which was outlawed under Taliban rule, is now legal in the war-torn country with thousands of spectators gathering each Friday from November to Match to watch the spectacle. Good fights can be worth several thousand dollars.

AFP 

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