Who Are the Taliban, and What Do They Want?

In the winter of 1995, a New York Times correspondent visiting Afghanistan reported that after years of brutal civil strife, a big change seemed to be afoot. A "new force of professed Islamic purists and Afghan patriots" had quickly taken military control of more than 40 percent of the country. It was surprising, because until taking up arms just a year before, many of the fighters had been little more than religious pupils. Their very name meant "students." The Taliban, they called themselves.