As 'Taliban 2.0' joins competing peace talks with various stakeholders, archival photos paint a stark image of life in Afghanistan under the radical Islamic group's 1996-2001 rule.
Afghanistan Under The Taliban
- By RFE/RL
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Protesters in Kabul in 2001 tout their country's history of repelling occupation. Later that year, a U.S.-led coalition invaded the country after Taliban leaders refused to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
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U.S. troops searching for Taliban fighters in mountains near Kandahar in 2003. After the U.S.-led invasion, most defeated Taliban melted away into mountains and villages or escaped into Pakistan.
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A U.S. marine takes cover with Afghan civilians during a firefight with Taliban militants in 2010. The Taliban have been fighting a sputtering insurgency in Afghanistan since the foreign troops arrived.
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A NATO armored vehicle after being hit by a suicide bombing in Jalalabad in 2014. Today, after nearly two decades of fighting, Taliban envoys are negotiating separately in at least two sets of talks -- one with U.S. officials and the other with Russian encouragement -- toward a controversial and potentially complex peace deal that could see U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan.
