Talibanistan: History of a Transnational Terrorist Sanctuary

Abstract

This article traces the movement of foreign jihadis to the Pashtun tribal lands situated on the volatile Pakistani-Afghan border from the time of the CIAsponsored Operation ‘Cyclone’ to the re-emergence of the Taliban in 2006– 2007. The role of autonomous jihadi groups such as the Kashmiri parties, Uighurs, Chechens, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan as well as the neoTaliban insurgents and Al-Qaeda terrorist and 055 fighting forces are also analyzed. The article concludes with an overview of fighting and terror trends and future prospects along the Pakistani-Afghan border.