The regime in Kabul made up of ardent obscurantists, who believe in an almost medieval brand of Islam. The name literally means "students of Islamic knowledge". The movement was started in Pakistan, and was warmly encouraged by Islamabad, which wanted to see a stable government in Kabul. At first, the Taliban's puritanical style of government was welcomed by Afghans, weary of 15 years of incessant conflict and the incompetence of the mojahedin. Today, there is no practical way to judge its popularity, though the rising tide of refugees frantic to leave the battered country tells its own story.

a fundamentalist Islamic militia; in 1995 the Taliban militia took over Afghanistan and in 1996 took Kabul and set up an Islamic government; "the Taliban enforced a strict Muslim code of behavior"

The Islamic movement overran Afghanistan in 1996. The term, literally meaning "students," is construed as plural.

The followers of Osama bin Laden.

a muzzy construct