Just wondering the difference in these 2. I’ve heard them sort of intermingled over the years - is there a difference or is it just 2 names for the same thing?
The Taliban is a group of Muslim fundamentalists that came to power in Afghanistan after the Russian invasion. They are still trying to gain power there, and also have a presence in Pakistan.
Al Qaeda is a group of Muslim fundamentalists who object to western culture and organizes terrorist attacks against the West and also against Muslims who they feel are too westernized.
There is some overlap, but the Taliban concentrates on Afghanistan and is a guerrilla organization there, where Al Qaeda is worldwide and uses terror tactics.
Ok, thanks for the insight!
The Taliban are largely Pashtun and their goals are to re-establish a fundamentalist, Pashtun dominated government in an area that includes large parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As mentioned above, Al Qaeda has a more global mission to promote a Sunni-centric fundamentalist state stretching from the Arabian pennisula to Indonesia. It is sectarian, but not ethnic.
Taliban and Al Qaeda goals overlapped in many areas. When the Taliban were the government of Afghanistan, they gave Al Qaeda safe haven, but ultimately, Al Qaeda’s international adventurism brought down the Taliban government by provoking a war with the US.
Ok, now it’s making even more sense. Thanks!