The Rise of the Taliban

Abstract

In 1994, Qandahar was under the control of the ex-Mujahideen and ex-government forces led by Molla Naqibollah Akhund, a former commander loyal to JIA Rabbani. Because of its location between Herat and Pakistan, Qandahar became an important commercial center in the country. Herat and Qandahar formed the most important part of the commercial road connecting Gulf countries to the Pakistan market. Numerous caravans carrying commercial goods passed through Herat and Qandahar every day. This commercial road contributed large revenues to the regional authorities in Herat and Qandahar. The control of this lucrative commercial road became an important issue for the regional and local armed groups. The area between the city of Qandahar and the town of Speen Buldak at the Pakistani border came under the control of the local armed forces belonging to Gulbadin Hekmatyar. These local armed forces established their own checkpoints to maintain political power and secure financial resources. All commercial owners and travelers had to pay a large amount of cash to these local groups. These checkpoints became a destructive barrier for the commercial businesses and the local people. The commercial businesses had to pay duty to regional authorities in Herat and Qandahar as well as booties to these checkpoints. If a commercial vehicle refused to pay, there was no guarantee that the commercial goods would reach their destination.