The Taliban
Global Terrorism
GVPT 406
Term Paper
The Taliban
Patrick Arihi
The US Department of State has never labelled or listed the Taliban in its foreign terrorist Organization list. In this paper, I will show that the Taliban is a terrorist organization and need to be labelled as such by the US Department of State. The US Federal Bureau of Investigations has defined international terrorism as follows:
“Involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
Appear to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
Occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum.” 18 U.S.C. § 2331
The Taliban has been a major terrorist organization in Afghanistan for the past two and half decades. During this period, they have ruled and played the role of society cleanser for the Afghans and the Pakistani people. They have killed, maimed, flogged, abused, kidnapped, and conducted terrorist activities throughout the Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. They have provided help, refuge and funding to other terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. They have also constantly tried to undermine the government of Afghanistan by killing government officials. Violent Acts The first component of this definition is that the act must be violent, dangerous and violates federal or state law. The Taliban was formed in the 1989 by a Pashtun faction of the mujahedeen; the Islamic Fighters, who resisted the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979–
89). The Soviet pullout from
GVPT 406
Term Paper
The Taliban
Patrick Arihi
The US Department of State has never labelled or listed the Taliban in its foreign terrorist Organization list. In this paper, I will show that the Taliban is a terrorist organization and need to be labelled as such by the US Department of State. The US Federal Bureau of Investigations has defined international terrorism as follows:
“Involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
Appear to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
Occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum.” 18 U.S.C. § 2331
The Taliban has been a major terrorist organization in Afghanistan for the past two and half decades. During this period, they have ruled and played the role of society cleanser for the Afghans and the Pakistani people. They have killed, maimed, flogged, abused, kidnapped, and conducted terrorist activities throughout the Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. They have provided help, refuge and funding to other terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. They have also constantly tried to undermine the government of Afghanistan by killing government officials. Violent Acts The first component of this definition is that the act must be violent, dangerous and violates federal or state law. The Taliban was formed in the 1989 by a Pashtun faction of the mujahedeen; the Islamic Fighters, who resisted the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979–
89). The Soviet pullout from
References: 18 U.S.C. § 2331 defines "international terrorism" and "domestic terrorism" for purposes of Chapter 113B of the Code, entitled "Terrorism”: www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/terrorism-2002-2005 www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/terrorism... www.nij.gov/topics/crime/terrorism www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/07/terrorism