Taliban — The Rise, Retreat and Resurgence of Jihadists

In the spring of 1996, the Taliban, who had taken southern Afghanistan under their control, organised a conference of their fighters, commanders and mullahs in downtown Kandahar, the movement’s political and spiritual base. The city hosts one of the holiest shrines in the country — The Shrine of the Cloak of the Prophet Mohammed, which keeps a robe that Afghans believe was worn by the Prophet. Next to the shrine is the tomb of King Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of modern Afghanistan. The legend is that King Durrani, who ruled the country from 1747 to 1772, brought the cloak to Kandahar from a conquest. Very rarely has it been shown to the public. Those who had assembled before an old mosque in central Kandahar were clueless what they were going to see. Then Mullah Mohammed Omar appeared on its roof, with the cloak in his hands. He held it aloft before the cheering crowd, who named him ‘Amir ul-Momineen’, the commander of the faithful. Read More…