Which militant group gained control of Afghanistan in the 1990s and sought to impose strict interpretations of Sharia law?

Which militant group gained control of Afghanistan in the 1990s and sought to impose strict interpretations of Sharia law?

• A. Al-Qaeda
• B. Islamic State
• C. Taliban
• D. Haqqani Network

Answer: (C)

The situation described centers on a group that rose to power in Afghanistan during the 1990s and pursued a strict Sharia-based rule across the country. This was the Taliban, who emerged from religious schools and mujahideen factions, seized Kabul in 1996, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Under their regime, they enforced a very conservative interpretation of Islamic law, restricting women's movement and education, banning many forms of entertainment, and imposing harsh public morality penalties. The other groups don’t fit this description because Al-Qaeda is a transnational terrorist network that used Afghanistan as a base and had a close alliance with the Taliban, but it did not govern the country. The Haqqani Network is a militant faction affiliated with the Taliban, active within Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it was not the governing authority in the 1990s. The Islamic State did not control Afghanistan in that decade; its Afghan faction rose to prominence later.

The situation described centers on a group that rose to power in Afghanistan during the 1990s and pursued a strict Sharia-based rule across the country. This was the Taliban, who emerged from religious schools and mujahideen factions, seized Kabul in 1996, and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Under their regime, they enforced a very conservative interpretation of Islamic law, restricting women's movement and education, banning many forms of entertainment, and imposing harsh public morality penalties.

The other groups don’t fit this description because Al-Qaeda is a transnational terrorist network that used Afghanistan as a base and had a close alliance with the Taliban, but it did not govern the country. The Haqqani Network is a militant faction affiliated with the Taliban, active within Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it was not the governing authority in the 1990s. The Islamic State did not control Afghanistan in that decade; its Afghan faction rose to prominence later.