On December 28, 2014, the United States and NATO officially proclaimed the end to the lengthy 13 year war in Afghanistan ("Afghanistan War" Encyclopædia). For many Americans, the United States involvement in Afghanistan is but a distant memory, buried under the headlines of a presidential election and overshadowed by a new American threat, ISIS. Although the war may formally be over, the struggle in Afghanistan persists. The Taliban continue to be a significant threat in the region and as of 2016 had even gained control of new territory (Garamone, “Obama”). Why did the United States not completely eradicate the Taliban movement? How does a ragtag group of militants continue to exist despite NATO’s efforts? Ethnic nationalism, world politics, …show more content…
It is important to understand the history of Pashtuns in order to realize why their nationalism serves to benefit the Taliban movement. Pashtun nationalism can be traced back over 400 years ago to a tribe leader, Khushal Khan Khattak (“Afghanistan And Pakistan” 7). Khattak committed himself to promoting Pashtun unity and self-reliance, he inspired many Pashtun revolts, and is considered by many Pashtuns as a “great nationalistic hero” (“Afghanistan And Pakistan” 7). Possibly inspired by Khattak during the 18th century, Ahmad Shah Durrani, a military commander, founded the Durrani Empire which encompassed present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of the surrounding countries (Rashid 19). The government and military were completely dominated by Pashtuns and fulfilled the Pashtun dream of having a country exclusively for their own people (“Afghanistan And Pakistan” 7). The empire did not last long, …show more content…
Once again, it is important to understand the history of Afghan-Pakistani relations in order to gain context and apprehend why and how Pakistan supports the Taliban. The Afghan-Pakistan border, known as the Durand Line, was determined by the British in 1893 (Feisal 175). The line cut off the Pashtun population and separated them into separate countries (once they gained independence), eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan (Feisal 175). A referendum in 1947 by “British colonial authorities” in the North West Frontier Province portion of British India (present day Pakistan) gave inhabitants the choice to join Pakistan or India (“Afghanistan And Pakistan” 8). No option was given to unite with their fellow Pashtuns across the Durand Line and form an independent nation as many wanted (“Afghanistan And Pakistan” 8). Many Pashtuns were upset by this and as a result boycotted the referendum (“Afghanistan And Pakistan” 8). Various border disputes have occurred over the past 100 years between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the 1960s, Dir, a town close to the border in Pakistan, conspired with the Afghan government to secede from Pakistan and form the, “the capitol of free Pashtunistan” (Feisal 175). This resulted in mass fighting that killed over 1,200 people, the closing of the border, and Pakistan preventing trade and port access to Afghanistan, a landlocked country (Feisal 175). Even as recent as 2006,