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The now-defunct Northern Alliance were nationalists, led by Massoud. The Taliban (and I suspect most of the other insurgent groups) are Islamists.
by sspencer 16y ago
The now-defunct Northern Alliance were nationalists, led by Massoud. The Taliban (and I suspect most of the other insurgent groups) are Islamists.
- michaelchisari 16y agoTo be clear, Afghanistan has a long history of people changing alliances very quickly, depending on circumstance. Although groups may present themselves as Islamist, that doesn't necessarily mean that their membership have a strong ideological allegiance, and are simply involved as a matter of convenience. This happens in a lot of conflicts, where people often side up based much more on pragmatic concerns (protection, for instance) than ideology. Also evidenced that when conflicts end, many move towards other political ideals, since the advantages of operating under a particular umbrella no longer apply. This may be why individuals within Islamist groups get tattoos of Canadian flags: It's not really about establishing a Caliphate or enacting strict Islamic rule for them.