Over the years, Osama bin Laden provided access to his deep pockets to the Taliban, supplying monetary support to Mullah Omar and his crew. He also sent thousands of fighters to assist the Taliban throughout Afghanistan. Not only did this allow Omar to expand his operation, but it essentially blackmailed Omar into siding with bin Laden during later years. It is also believed that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait provided funding and supplies to the Taliban, as well.
Following the 9/11 attacks, the Taliban were quickly overthrown by U.S. and Coalition forces, in a period of a few weeks. Unfortunately, they were not actually eliminated and, as a result, fled to Pakistan to regroup and develop new strategies. As the war slogged on in Afghanistan, the Taliban regained some of their previous power, in certain areas of the country. They also found a new source of funding, exploiting those involved in the drug trade. Afghanistan is the largest international producer of opium and hashish with an annual export value of several billion dollars [5]. Though the production of these drugs is obviously illegal, thousands of Afghan farmers make a decent living off their cultivation. The average income of a farmer harvesting traditional crops pales in comparison to the modest living drug farmers can make. After the collapse of the Afghan economy in 2001, it was clear why so many decided to utilize their farmland for illegal purposes. The decision was that of survival and desperation.
Due to the illicit nature of drug cultivation and exportation, the Taliban has discovered they can extort money from those involved in the drug trade in Afghanistan. It is rumored that, in some areas, the Taliban actually provide the seeds to local farmers for opium crops and coerce them with false promises of large paychecks after a full harvest. Once the farmers have harvested the opium, Taliban members return to collect the goods, proclaiming them as their own. In cases where farmers are allowed to personally sell their crops, the Taliban often levy “taxes”. The fees are imposed on both the drug farmers and those who move the product out of the country. These Taliban taxes result in a small fortune, to the tune of millions of dollars, each year to fund their insurgent operations. The Taliban warlords threaten the drug farmers and traffickers with violence to them and/or their families if they do not pay the fees. Interestingly, planting and cultivating drugs is against Islam. But, as extremist groups do so often, the Koran and its rules within, are interpreted in a very subjective manner. Although I hear so many Muslims preach about being judged in the afterlife, the Taliban seem to have no concern at all. I suppose they probably justify their religiously-banned involvement in the drug trade, as it is a financial means to an end to rid their country of “infidels”. I suspect they believe they are on a religious quest against non-Muslims and likely believe their participation in this pursuit outweighs the breaking of other religious rules. According to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) [6], the Taliban may be hoarding mass amounts of opium, in an effort to manipulate the world drug market in their favor. Purportedly, in the past few years, substantially more opium was produced in Afghanistan, than was in demand around the world. As a result, the opium market should have seen a decline in demand and price, but did not. The logical assumption is that the Taliban are amassing large amounts of the drug, to help solidify their financial future for the next several years. By creating a higher demand for the drug, they can drive up the price of it worldwide.
I am not sure what comes to mind when an average American hears the term “Taliban”. I suppose an image of Osama bin Laden (although he technically was not part of The Taliban) or some similar figure emerges. To the Pashtuns of Afghanistan, all insurgents are considered part of the Taliban, from the guy who shoots up a market, to the highest ranking insurgent leaders. Most of the locals do not, and cannot, differentiate between Haqqani, al-Qaeda, Hezb-i-Islami or the Taliban (all of which have a decent-sized presence in Eastern Afghanistan). They are all just Taliban to them. In a way, this actually made questioning the locals about insurgents easier. All I had to ask was “What kind of problems do the Taliban cause in your village?” or “Who do you know that you suspect is reporting to the Taliban?”
One day, my interpreter and I were having a conversation about the brainwashing imposed by Islamic extremists. He told me a fascinating story about the root of the word assassin. The story goes something like this: Around the eleventh or twelfth century, a man named Hasan-i Sabbah, a devoted Islamic follower, (albeit an extreme one), formed a group called the Order of the Assassins. Reportedly, this congregation served his own personal and political gain. Anyways, after forming the Order, Hasan looked for a place to build a fortress to train his disciples. He traveled around several countries in the Middle East before finally deciding on Alamut, which was located in what today is northwestern Iran. He brought many of his young followers there to mold them into killers. However, Hasan found it somewhat difficult to convince these young boys and men to kill others, while also risking their own lives. I can’t imagine why this task was so difficult. So, he hashed (pun intended) out a plan…
Hasan created a beautiful garden area in the fortress, with lush green plants, grass, trees and colorful flowers. He brought scantily clad women into the garden and set up an array of delicious food and wine. Hasan would reportedly drug his followers with hashish and then take them to the garden. There, he would let them bask in the beautiful scenery for a while, drink the wine and eat the food and flirt with the women. Later, he would explain to them that this was the paradise that awaited them in the afterlife. Some Muslims believe if they “martyr” themselves, they will be rewarded handsomely in the afterlife. As many know, this supposed reward includes dozens of virgin women. Hasan played off this belief and used it to his advantage.
Once the effects of the hashish wore off his followers, Hasan would sit them down and explain to them that they could return to the paradise they had seen, if they followed his instructions. This was one way in which he brainwashed and groomed these young men to become assassins and martyrs. Once the followers were convinced of the rewards they would reap in the afterlife, they were much more amenable to carrying out suicide attacks. Whether this tale is actually true, it is a fascinating, but agonizing, example of how humans can be manipulated by one another.
I remember interviewing a man who worked for the Afghan Border Police (ABP). He was not from the local area, but, instead from Kundoz Province, in the northern part of the country. Kundoz was generally considered to be a peaceful province, without many attacks or problems caused by insurgents. During the Taliban regime, the Northern Alliance maintained relative peace throughout the area and kept the Taliban out. Despite the mostly peaceful atmosphere, he relayed a story about a local doctor he had known, years prior.
According to this man, during the Taliban regime, in the late 1990’s, one of his neighbors was a well-known doctor, who worked throughout Kundoz Province. One day, a group of Taliban fighters, many of whom were injured, arrived in the village. The uninjured fighters approached the doctor and asked for assistance with those who had been shot. Knowing the men were members of the Taliban, the doctor refused them treatment and asked them to leave the area. Initially, the fighters left and the villagers thought no more of the incident.
However, as a result of his refusal to treat the men, the doctor was kidnapped that night, never to be heard from again. A couple of days later, his body was discovered on the side of a road in the village. The Taliban had skinned the doctor and cut his body into pieces, before dumping him in a ditch next to the road. He was likely tortured extensively prior to his death. Local children were the first to make the gruesome discovery. The Taliban were ruthless and everyone knew it. One can only imagine the mental scars left on the children who found the pieces of the doctor’s body. Those are memories that will be with them for life. These types of atrocities were so commonplace throughout the country during the Taliban rule.
Afghan female citizens, during the Taliban reign, were subject to even more and harsher rules than the men. In addition to not being allowe
d to leave the household without the accompaniment of a man, they could not be heard or seen of, in any way. Women were prohibited from even talking in a normal voice, or laughing, for fear an outsider might hear them. If that outsider happened to be a Taliban member, he could punish her for speaking too loudly. If a woman’s burqa happened to flap in the wind, and show her ankles, she could be whipped.
While talking about Taliban rules, one man told me he remembered hearing that one of his female neighbors had her fingers cut off. I asked him what crime she committed to deserve such a punishment. He informed me that she had painted her fingernails with nail polish, which was strictly prohibited. Forbidding one to paint their fingernails is only one simple example of the ridiculous rules imposed by the Taliban. Similar to this rule was the one of prohibited conversations. Although women were expected to wash the clothes of the other members of their household, they were not allowed to do so in public, such as near a river. The Taliban believed such potential gatherings of women could be detrimental and incite conversations. Furthermore, women were essentially banned from even talking to one another and were not allowed to gather in groups, even during holiday celebrations. Any violation of these strict rules during the Taliban regime, could lead to severe physical punishment, or even death.
I had the very unique opportunity to interview a self-proclaimed, former Taliban member, who I will call Farid. The circumstances surrounding this opportunity are classified and cannot be discussed in this book. Despite this, I can relay some of our conversation. Farid walked me through his recruitment and training process, as well as, his participation in attacks against Coalition Forces. I knew from the beginning of the interview Farid was going to be different. I often talk to the locals about morals and values, taught to them by their parents, to get a sense of their ethical standards and religious devotion. When asked what values their parents taught them, the standard answers included to get a good education, not to lie, steal, consume alcohol or drugs, or commit adultery. When I asked Farid what values were instilled in him by his parents, the first thing out of his mouth was “My father taught me not to lay mines in the road.” That was a curious answer and a response I had never heard before.
As the interview progressed, I talked Farid through the instructions for the lie detector test I was prepared to administer to him. Towards the end of the test preparation, it was standard procedure to explain all the questions that were going to be on the test. One question dealt with whether the person had ever participated in attacks against Coalition Forces. As I explained this particular question to Farid, he interrupted and said he had, indeed, been involved in such attacks. I made sure he understood what I meant by the terms “attacks” and “participation” and then reviewed the question again. Again, he stated yes, he had participated in attacks. At this point, I (figuratively) threw the test out the window, knowing there was no need for it. No one, in their right mind, was going to lie about having participated in attacks, if they had never done such a thing. Even those who had done those things were likely going to try and lie about it. (Hence, the purpose of the lie detector test). Mind you, out of the 150 or so lie detector tests I administered in Afghanistan, Farid was the only one who ever said “yes” to that question.
So began his story of Taliban membership. Farid was born and raised in Miram Shah, Pakistan. This was not uncommon for a lot of Pashtun-Afghans. Many families fled Afghanistan in the 1980’s, hoping to avoid the widespread fighting, resulting from the Russian invasion. Farid’s upbringing sounded boringly normal for a refugee family. He attended school and his father made some minimal amount of money, running a makeshift grocery store. But, the money was just enough to support the family. Farid had friends at school and in the neighborhood, who he played and did normal “boy” things with.
When Farid was approximately fourteen years old, his life changed forever. While walking home from school one day, he was approached by a local Taliban Commander, who I will call Abdul. Apparently, it was common for Taliban commanders to wander the streets looking for young, naïve boys to prey on. Abdul sat down with Farid and explained that the Taliban was looking for strong, young boys to help fight the foreigners and police, who were occupying and taking over Afghanistan.
Abdul pumped up Farid’s ego and promised him a life of pride, and a salary that could support his family. Farid was hooked. He went home and explained to his family the conversation he’d had with Abdul. His family, however, felt much differently and asked him to continue his schooling and stay away from the Taliban. After a day or two, Farid made his decision and reported back to Abdul that he was ready for Taliban training, and ready to save Afghanistan from the occupiers.
Farid was sent immediately to a large Taliban training camp near Miram Shah. There, he learned to fire various weapons, including the AK-47 and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG’s). He was also taught how to effectively throw hand grenades. He learned how to conduct reconnaissance for attacks, set up ambushes and react to enemy assaults. Intertwined with the militaristic training, were hours upon hours of religious sermons and lessons. Farid memorized most of the Koran (no easy feat) during his time with the Taliban. The religious leaders, or Mullahs, taught the followers that they were preparing to fight Jihad, against the foreign occupiers, and that they would be handsomely rewarded when they reached the afterlife. For many years, Farid believed that Jihad was focused primarily on U.S. citizens and anyone who sided with them. The concept of a martyr was essentially portrayed as one in the same as a person engaging in Jihad. According to Farid, he was taught that martyrdom was the ultimate level of religious achievement, meaning a person killed during Jihad would go straight to heaven, with no questions asked. During the interview, Farid explained to me that he no longer believed any of this and that the words “jihad” and “martyr” held no meaning with him.
As Farid aged through his teenage years, he primarily lived on various Taliban-run compounds in Pakistan, with many other Taliban members. His life was reduced to religious studies, praying, military-style training and assisting with attack preparation. He was tasked many times to go collect information about potential attack sites. These were often Afghan Border Police checkpoints along the Afghan-Pakistan border. Despite his devotion to the Taliban’s cause, Farid never reaped the benefits promised to him. The only supplies provided to him were weapons, ammunition and sparse food. Farid was forced to provide his own clothing, shoes and other necessary items. He never received a dime from his Taliban commander for his work. Amazingly, Farid’s brothers, who owned small shops in their village, provided him with money for his essential items, despite the fact they did not agree with his career choice. Occasionally, Farid was allowed to visit his family. Apparently, even though Farid’s family opposed his decision to join the Taliban, they welcomed him back into their home each time he came to visit.
During this time, Farid and the other Taliban members, essentially worshipped Osama bin Laden. They routinely listened to his recorded messages and had the utmost respect for him, thinking he was assisting in ousting the occupiers from Afghanistan. Little did they realize that bin Laden was contributing heavily to the fighting and chaos within the Afghan borders. Farid remembered hearing about the 9/11 attacks, but said it was not a significant event to him.
In summer of 2009, Farid participated in his first attack on Coalition Forces. After much preparation, he and dozens of other Taliban fighters attacked an Afghan Police checkpoint in northern Afghanistan. They fired rockets and RPGs at the checkpoint and used AK-47s to lay down small arms fire. Farid opined that he probably killed some police officers in that attack, but the number was never verified to him. The Taliban side took a few injuries, but most escaped unharmed. To them, the attack was a success.
Farid’s second attack occurred a couple months later and was much like the first one. Again, he and a large group of Taliban fighters attacked an outpost belonging to the Afghan Border Police. This time, his group took more casualties, losing four or f
ive fighters. Farid remembered one fighter in particular, who managed to escape, initially, with injuries. However, an Afghan Border policeman tracked him down and shot him point blank. Farid escaped again, unharmed, at least physically. It was after this attack, he told me, that he began to question the ethics and mission of the Taliban. He began to realize that the “foreigners” in Afghanistan were not there to invade or occupy the country, but rather to help re-build and educate. He also realized that he had not helped with attacks against foreigners, but rather the Afghans themselves.
Farid’s commander asked him to participate in yet another attack soon after the second one. Farid declined, although he never explained to me how he was able to turn down the commander’s request. He went on “vacation” shortly after to visit his family. While hanging out at the local village bazaar (shopping area), Farid, and a friend of his, who I will call Khazrat, were arrested by Taliban members and taken to a makeshift prison. Both were arrested on the suspicion that they planned to desert the Taliban. Once at the prison, they were locked in a room, with several other men. The floor was dirt, the walls were mud and they were provided one shabby meal per day. They were routinely beaten with wooden boards and iron pipes. The Taliban guards attempted to interrogate them, continually accusing them of being traitors and working for the infidels. Farid witnessed one fellow prisoner beaten to death, in front of him. The guards left his body in the room for a couple of days, to remind the others of their probable future demise. Farid estimates he was in the prison for approximately four weeks although he had no way to tell time or dates.
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