The Taliban in Pakistan: Before and after 9/11

Abstract

It is safe to say that in the years leading up to the September 11 attacks, the United States had little to no working relationship with Pakistan, especially when it came to stopping the Taliban. In fact, the United States contributed to the creation and rise of the Taliban: according to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the United States and Britain paid for Taliban training centers which were set up in Pakistan, ostensibly to halt the spread of Soviet communism during the 1980s (Zunes 177). After 9/11, however, the United States pressured Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to aid them in the War on Terror by helping to root out the Taliban. Quoting an anonymous source, Angel M. Rabasa states that "Musharraf was forced [by the United States] to either abandon the Taliban or be prepared to be treated like the Taliban" (283). Musharraf pledged full cooperation – saying, "Pakistan rejects terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and is fully cooperating with the international coalition against terrorism" (Whittaker 66)