Afghanistan is a devoutly Muslim nation -90% of its people are Sunni Muslims with the remaining minority are Sufis and Shiites. Religious schools were established after Islam was introduced in the country in the seventh century and the Taliban became an important part of the social fabric: running schools, mosques, shrines, various religious and social services, and serving as mujahideen when necessary.

The Taliban were one of the mujahideen ("holy warriors" or "freedom fighters") groups that fought during the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-89). After the Soviet forces left, the Soviet-backed government lost ground to the mujahideen. In 1992, Kabul was captured and an alliance of mujahideen set up a new government. Many Afghans, weary of conflict and anarchy, were relieved to see corrupt and often brutal warlords replaced by the devout Taliban who had some success in eliminating corruption, restoring peace, and allowing commerce to resume.

However, the various mujahideen factions did not cooperate and fought each other. Afghanistan was split in territories held by competing warlords. The Taliban, under the leadership of Mullah Muhammad Omar, brought order through the institution of a strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. Public executions and punishments became regular events. Frivolous activities, like kite flying, were outlawed. To root out "non-Islamic" influence, television, music, and the Internet were banned. Men were required to wear beards, and subjected to beatings if they didn't.

The Taliban forbade girls to go to school and working outside their home; this produced a crisis in healthcare and education services. Women were also prohibited from leaving their home without a male relative -those that did risked being beaten, even shot, by officers of the "ministry for the protection of virtue and prevention of vice." Most of the Taliban's leaders were educated in refugee camps in Pakistan, where they had fled with millions of other Afghans after the Soviet invasion. Funds and scholarships provided by Saudi Arabia during the occupation brought the schools' curricula closer to the conservative Wahhabi tradition. Ties between the Taliban and these schools remain strong. Although the Taliban managed to re-unite most of Afghanistan, they were unable to end the civil war that continued until the end of 2001.

The Taliban's strongest opposition came from the Northern Alliance movement, which held the Northeast corner of the country (about 10% of Afghanistan). While the Taliban were mostly Sunni Muslim Pashtun, the Northern Alliance includes Tajiks, Hazara, Uzbeks, and Turkmen. The Hazara, and some other smaller ethnic groups, are Shiites. The Ismaili community also supports the Northern Alliance. Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates recognized the Taliban regime as Afghanistan's legitimate government. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut diplomatic ties with the Taliban. The Taliban allowed terrorist organizations to run training camps in their territory and, from 1994 to at least 2001, provided refuge for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida.

The relationship between the Taliban and bin Laden was close, even familial -bin Laden fought with the mujahideen and has financed the Taliban; one of his daughters is married to Mullah Muhammad Omar. The United Nations Security Council passed two resolutions, UNSCR 1267 (1999) and 1333 (2000), demanding that the Taliban cease their support for terrorism and hand over bin Laden for trial. The Taliban's relationship with Pakistan has always been complicated. A high percentage of the Taliban are ethnic Pashtun and the Pashtun are a sizable minority in Pakistan where they dominate the military forces. Public support for the Taliban runs very high in the Pashtun North-West Frontier province where pro-Taliban groups have staged uprisings and sought to emulate Taliban practices by performing public executions and oppressing women. In September 2001, following the terrorist attacks, the US asked the Taliban to turn over Osama bin Laden and the senior al-Qaida members.

On October 7, after the Taliban refused to agree to the American requests, the US began bombing Taliban military sites, while the Northern Alliance moved south doing the fighting for the Americans. By November 21, the Taliban had lost Kabul, and by December 9 had been completely defeated. Many Taliban's most radical leaders and supporters were killed, taken prisoner, or fled the country. Later on, however, many former Taliban returned to their home, to continue working for the Taliban's goals. Moderate Taliban leaders representing religious, ethnic, or regional factions may re-emerge on the political scene, but the more radical have chosen to fight the new government.

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