Taliban : militant Islam, oil, and fundamentalism in Central Asia

Shrouding themselves and their aims in deepest secrecy, the leaders of the Taliban movement control Afghanistan with an inflexible, crushing fundamentalism. The most extreme and radical of all Islamic organizations, the Taliban inspires fascination, controversy, and especially fear in both the Muslim world and the West. Correspondent Ahmed Rashid brings the shadowy world of the Taliban into sharp focus in this enormously interesting and revealing book. It is the only authoritative account of the Taliban and modern day Afghanistan available to English language readers. Based on his experiences as a journalist covering the civil war in Afghanistan for twenty years, traveling and living with the Taliban, and interviewing most of the Taliban leaders since their emergence to power in 1994, Rashid offers unparalleled firsthand information. He explains how the growth of Taliban power has already created severe instability in Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and five Central Asian republics. He describes the Taliban’s role as a major player in a new “Great Game”—a competition among Western countries and companies to build oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western and Asian markets. The author also discusses the controversial changes in American attitudes toward the Taliban—from early support to recent bombings of Osama Bin Laden’s hideaway and other Taliban-protected terrorist bases—and how they have influenced the stability of the region. Shrouding themselves and their aims in deepest secrecy, the leaders of the Taliban movement control Afghanistan with an inflexible, crushing fundamentalism. The most extreme and radical of all Islamic organizations, the Taliban inspires fascination, controversy, and especially fear in both the Muslim world and the West. Correspondent Ahmed Rashid brings the shadowy world of the Taliban into sharp focus in this enormously interesting and revealing book. It is the only authoritative account of the Taliban and modern day Afghanistan available to English language readers. Based on his experiences as a journalist covering the civil war in Afghanistan for twenty years, traveling and living with the Taliban, and interviewing most of the Taliban leaders since their emergence to power in 1994, Rashid offers unparalleled firsthand information. He explains how the growth of Taliban power has already created severe instability in Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and five Central Asian republics. He describes the Taliban' s role as a major player in a new "Great Game"a competition among Western countries and companies to build oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia to Western and Asian markets. The author also discusses the controversial changes in American attitudes toward the Talibanfrom early support to recent bombings of Osama Bin Laden's hideaway and other Taliban-protected terrorist basesand how they have influenced the stability of the region. Kandahar 1994: the origins of the Taliban Herat 1995: God's invincible soldiers Kabul 1996: commander of the faithful Mazar-e-Sharif 1997: massacre in the north Bamiyan 1998-2000: the never-ending war Challenging Islam: the new-style fundamentalism of the Taliban Secret society: the Taliban's political and military organization A vanished gender: women, children and Taliban culture High on heroin: drugs and the Taliban economy Global jihad: the Arab-Afghans and Osama Bin Laden Dictators and oil barons: the Taliban and Central Asia, Russia, Turkey and Israel Romancing the Taliban 1: the battle for pipelines 1994-96 Romancing the Taliban 2: the battle for pipelines 1997-99: the USA and the Taliban Master or victim: Pakistan's Afghan war Shia and Sunni: Iran and Saudi Arabia Conclusion: the future of Afghanistan. Examines the Taliban and its form of Islamic fundamentalism, explains how the organization rose to power, and discusses its impact on Afghanistan and why the country has become a center for international terrorism This book tells about the nature of local politics and the consequences of interference by outside powers. It gives a political and historical account of the movement's rise to power The Taliban Governor of Kandahar, Mullah Mohammed Hassan Rehmani, has a disconcerting habit of pushing the table in front of him with his one good leg.