American+and+Taliban+Relationship

= **American and Taliban Relationship ** =



=**Background: What is the Taliban?**=
 * The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group that formed from the Mujahideen
 * Many Western countries and moderate Muslims oppose the Taliban
 * Even though the Taliban follows the teaching of the Koran, the group has commited crimes that are not allowed by the Koran and the Muslim religion
 * The Taliban has been present in Afghanistan since 1994 and was formed in Pakistan



=**Afghanistan and Soviet War**=
 * Communist party in Afghanistan took control of government in 1978
 * July 3, 1979, President Jimmy Carter secretly authorized the CIA to spend a half a million dollars to support the Afghanistan opposition of the communist government, known as the Mujahideen
 * Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support communist government
 * Many refugees of Afghanistan moved to Pakistan where the CIA supported the Mujahideen
 * The CIA did not directly give the money to the soldiers, but to the Pakistani Intelligence Service
 * After five years, America heard that the Mujahideen controlled half of Afghanistan and the Soviets lost billions of dollars and millions of men
 * President Ronald Reagan and CIA Director William Casey tripled the money given to the Mujahideen
 * In 1986, the new leader of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, concluded Soviet troops must withdraw from Afghanistan to reform the country
 * Soviets pullout of Afghanistan in February 1989, a victory for the Mujahideen and America

=**After Soviet Withdrew from Afghanistan**=
 * A civil war was still being fought in Afghanistan against the Communist government, lasting for another three years
 * After Soviets left, America should have supplied all sides of the civil war weapons, not just the extremists
 * America and President Bush ignored the problems in Afghanistan because they became distracted by the falling of the Berlin Wall, the changes in the USSR, and the problems in Kuwait
 * America only became involved in Afghanistan and Soviet War to battle communism and the Cold War, not because they wanted to help the Afghan people



=**Afghanistan Civil War**=
 * Mujahideen took control of the capital, Kabul, in April 1992
 * Different sects of the Mujahideen continued to fight for control of the government for two years
 * America used the “excuse” that the Afghan people needed to settle their own problems and that they could not get involved
 * Refugee students and teachers of Islamic practices in Pakistan began the Taliban
 * The Taliban was led by Mullah Omar, a holy conservative teacher of Islamic practices
 * Parts of the Mujahideen join the refugees in the Taliban
 * They attacked the Southern portion of Afghanistan, and many Afghans applauded their actions because they wanted the war to end



=**Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden Join with Taliban**=
 * Osama bin Laden spent some time in Pakistan helping lead the rebels against the Soviets
 * Osama Bin Laden came back to Afghanistan because he was wanted for attacks against America in the Middle East and was expelled from Saudi Arabia and Sudan
 * Bin Laden took his group, Al Qaeda, with him to Afghanistan in 1996
 * It was rumored that bin Laden gave over three million to the Taliban to help them take over Kabul on September 26, 1996
 * Mullah Omar needed bin Laden’s money while Bin Laden needed the protection of the Taliban
 * In 1997, America wanted the Taliban to give up Osama bin Laden for the previous terrorist attacks, but they need bin Laden’s help in the civil war



=**Events Leading to 9/11**=
 * Both the Taliban and Al Qaeda agreed they were fighting a holy war, or jihad, against the Western world
 * Bin Laden organized many training camps for the Taliban and began plotting the 9/11 attacks
 * Two American embassies in Northern African were bombed by Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden in 1998
 * Clinton ordered attacks of bin Laden’s camps in Afghanistan after bombings
 * US warned the Taliban that they would be held responsible for bin Laden’s actions because they were protecting him from America
 * The Taliban ignored the warning because they still needed bin Laden’s help taking control of Afghanistan
 * In October 2000, the U.S.S. Cole ship was attacked in Yemen by Al Qaeda forces
 * September 9, 2001, the Taliban become the unchallenged leaders of Afghanistan after Al Qaeda forces kill the only opposition to the Taliban
 * September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda attacks New York City and the Pentagon

=**Connections to Text**=

..."'Your father won't find out,' Assef said. 'And there's nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey.'" (p 75)
 * Parallels in Kite Runner**
 * **In the Book** || **In Real Life** ||
 * "'I don't know' Wali was saying. 'My father says it's sinful." (p 75)

Assef has no qualms about raping Hassan, a Hazara, even though it is against his religion. || Assef represents the Taliban which calls itself an Islamic fundamentalist group, yet commits many sins against the Muslim religion. ||
 * "He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn't struggle." (p 75)

Assef rapes Hassan, which is a display of absolute control and dominance. || The Mujahideen, and later Taliban, takes control of Afghanistan's government. ||
 * "I stopped watching, turned away from the alley... I could step into that alley, and stand up for Hassan - the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past - and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran." (p 77)

Amir watches as Assef sexually assaults Hassan, but does not interfere || During the civil war in the early 1990's when different groups were fighting for control over Afghanistan's government, the United States refused to get involved, believing it was not their problem, and didn't have to deal with it. || "'If I deny him one child, he takes ten.'" (p 257) || This scene demonstrates the absolute control the Taliban had over Afghanistan. || "There is a way to be good again" (p 2).
 * "'What choice do I have?' Zaman shot back... 'There's nothing I can do to stop it." (p 256)
 * "Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years." (p 1)

Amir chooses to save Hassan's son from Assef and the Taliban as a way to redeem what he did to Hassan in the past || The United States goes to war with Afghanistan to remove the Taliban from power after the events during 9/11. ||
 * "'When it's done, only one of us will walk out of this room alive,' Assef said. 'If it's him, then he'd earned his freedom and you let him pass, do you understand?'" (p 287)

Amir fights Assef for the right to take Hassan's son, Sohrab. || This fight parallels America's war in Afghanistan. ||

=**Discussion Questions**=


 * How does this war effect our everyday life? How mighty it effect the Muslims differently ?
 * What parallels can be drawn between the characters and the countries at war ?
 * Will this war ever end and can peace be achieved?

=**References**=
 * Afghanistan. [Online Image] Retrieved April 3, 2011, from: []
 * Afghanistan. [Online Image] Retrieved April 3, 2011, from: []
 * Benson, S. (2002). The afghan taliban strikes out. //History Behind The Headlines: The Origins Of Conflicts Worldwide//, 4. Retrieved April 3, 2011 from [|http://ic.galegroup.com:80/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&prodId=SUIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ2309004001&userGroupName=dove10524&jsid=a008ba78]
 *  Hosseini, K. (2003). // The Kite Runner // . New York: The Berkley Publishing Groups
 * Kosh S., & Flynn J. (Creators). Gogosrb (Poster) (2010, February 18). History channel - declassified: the taliban part 1 [Video ] Retrieved from []
 * Kosh S., & Flynn J. (Creators). Gogosrb (Poster) (2010, February 18). History channel - declassified: the taliban part 2 [Video ] Retrieved from []
 * Kosh S., & Flynn J. (Creators). Gogosrb (Poster) (2010, February 18). History channel - declassified: the taliban part 3 [Video ] Retrieved from []
 * Kosh S., & Flynn J. (Creators). Gogosrb (Poster) (2010, February 18). History channel - declassified: the taliban part 4 [Video ] Retrieved from []
 * Kosh S., & Flynn J. (Creators). Gogosrb (Poster) (2010, February 18). History channel - declassified: the taliban part 5 [Video ] Retrieved from []
 * Osama bin Laden. [Online Image] Retrieved April 3, 2011, from: []
 * The Taliban. [Online Image]. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from: []
 * Twin-Towers. [Online Image]. Retrieved April 3, 2011, from: []

=Further Research=


 * http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?afghanwar_tmln_foreign_relations=afghanwar_tmln_us_taliban_relations&timeline=afghanwar_tmln