Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

The United States and the Taliban before and after 9/11 pp 25–48Cite as

The Taliban Take Kabul and a New Friend Moves to Kandahar

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 625 Accesses

Abstract

The Taliban took Kabul on 17 September 1996 and had a legitimate claim to be the government of Afghanistan. The Taliban wanted a good relationship with the United States for many reasons including fear of Iran and Russia. The US and the Taliban met regularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the US. On 8 November 1996, the Taliban formally requested diplomatic recognition from the United States. Washington had four major concerns regarding Afghanistan: stability and ending the Taliban/Northern Alliance conflict; drug trafficking; women’s rights; and the presence of Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda terrorist network. This chapter looks at the discussions and high-level meetings between the United States and the Taliban from the fall of Kabul until the 7 August 1998 Al Qaeda attacks in Kenya and Tanzania—a time period during which concern about both women’s rights and terrorism grew dramatically.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Albright, Madeline. 1996. Global Role of the US [Speech to Women’s Foreign Policy Group]. C-Span, November 19. Video.

    Google Scholar 

  • Albright, Madeline. 2005. Madame Secretary: A Memoir. New York: Miramax.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asia: Those Not Very Nice People in Afghanistan. 1998. The Economist, 25 April 1998, 347(8065), 41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burleigh, Peter. 1998. The Situation in Afghanistan and Its Implications for International Peace and Security. 84th Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly, Official Records, 9 December 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, John F. 1997. In Afghanistan, a Triumph of Fundamentalism. New York Times, 26 May 1997. Web.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, Nicholas. 1996. Daily Press Briefing [transcript]. 3 October 1996. Office of the Spokesman, US Department of State.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christopher, Warren. 1996a. Dealing with the Taliban in Kabul [Secretary of State Christopher to US Embassy Islamabad]. 28 September 1996. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christopher, Warren. 1996b. Afghanistan: Taliban Rep Won’t Seek UN Seat For Now [Secretary of State Christopher to US Embassy Islamabad]. 11 December 1996. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cochran, Charles L. 1968. De facto and de jure Recognition: Is There a Difference? The American Journal of International Law 62 (2): 457–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coll, Steve. 2004. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. New York: Penguin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clinton, William J. 1998. Remarks on International Women’s Day, 11 March 1998. Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, 16 March 1998, 34(11), 410–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, Glyn. 1996a. Daily Press Briefing [transcript]. 28 September 1996. Office of the Spokesman, US Department of State, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, Glyn. 1996b. Daily Press Briefing [transcript]. September 1996. Office of the Spokesman, US Department of State, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • DCI Talking Points Regarding Operations Against Osama bin Laden. 1997. 25 August 1997. Central Intelligence Agency, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC (The author of this document is the unnamed chief of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center).

    Google Scholar 

  • Deutch, John M. 1996. Afghanistan: Taliban’s Victory Impact. 30 September 1996. Central Intelligence Agency, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC (This document was produced by the Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, but its exact author is unknown and is almost certainly not former Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodd, Christopher. 1997. Senate Concurrent Resolution 6. 7 February 1997. 105th Congress, 1st Session. Government Publications Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastham, Alan. 1997. Afghanistan: The Taliban’s Mullah Rabbani: Contender for Taliban Leadership? [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 7 April 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filkins, Dexter. 2001. The Legacy of the Taliban Is a Sad and Broken Land. New York Times, 31 December 2001. Web.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filkins, Dexter. 2008. The Forever War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gannon, Kathy. 2005. I Is for Infidel. New York: Public Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gnehm, Edward. 1997. The Situation in Afghanistan. 3765th Meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Official Records of the Security Council, 14 April 1997, pp. 19–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutman, Roy. 2008. How We Missed the Story: Osama bin Laden, the Taliban, and the Hijacking of Afghanistan. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, Brad. 1997. Afghanistan: Taliban Agree to Visits of Militant Training Camps, Admit Bin Ladin Is Their Guest [from US Consulate Peshawar to Secretary of State Albright]. 9 January 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • IAC Intelligence Assessment. 1996. 17 October 1996. Privy Council Office’s Intelligence Assessment Secretariat. Ottawa, Canada. Document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Intelligence Report: Afghanistan: Taliban External Ambitions. 1998. 28 October 1998. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeVine, Steve, and Raymond Bonner. 1998. Doubts Grow That Taliban Would Give up Terrorist Mastermind to the U.S. New York Times, 25 August 1998, p. A6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackenzie, Richard. 1998. The United States and the Taliban. In Fundamentalism Reborn? Afghanistan and the Taliban, ed. William Maley, 90–103. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maloney, Carolyn. 1997. House Concurrent Resolution 156. 23 September 1997. 105th Congress, 1st Session. Government Publications Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordland, Rod. 2013. Peace Envoys from Taliban at Loose Ends in Qatar. New York Times, 9 April 2013. Web.

    Google Scholar 

  • President Clinton: A Historic Commitment to International Human Rights. 1998. 11 March 1998. Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, accessed at US Department of State Archive. Web.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rashid, Ahmed. 1998. Dropping in. Far Eastern Economic Review, 30 April 1998, 161(18), 29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rashid, Ahmed. 2009. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter, Gary W. 1999. Osama bin Laden: A Case Study. 6 December 1999. Sandia National Laboratories, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, Barnett. 1998. Testimony on the Situation in Afghanistan before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 8 October 1998. Web.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, John J., and Linda Schulz. 1999. The Darkest of Ages: Afghan Women Under the Taliban. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology 5 (3): 237–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1996a. Afghanistan: Taliban Official Says that Relations with Russia and Iran ‘Tense’ [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Christopher]. 29 September 1996. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1996b. Afghanistan: Taliban Seeks Low Profile Relations with the USG—At Least for Now [from US Embassy Islamabad to US Embassy Dhaka]. 8 October 1996. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1996c. Afghanistan: Foreign Secretary Mulls Over Afghanistan [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Christopher]. 10 October 1996. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1996d. Ambassador Meets Taliban: We Are the People [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Christopher]. 12 November 1996. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1996e. Afghanistan: Taliban Deny They Are Sheltering HUA Militants, Osama bin Laden [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Christopher]. 12 November 1996. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997a. Afghani Taliban Shift Yar Mohammed from Herat to Ghazni [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Christopher]. 2 January 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997b. Scenesetter for Your Visit to Islamabad: Afghan Angle [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 16 January 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997c. Pakistan Counterterrorism: Ambassador’s Meeting with [redacted] February 6, on State Sponsor Designation [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 7 February 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997d. Afghanistan: Raising Bin Ladin with the Taliban [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 4 March 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997e. Official Informal—For SA Assistant Secretary Robin Raphel and SA/PAB (from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright). 10 March 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997f. Afghanistan: Straight Talk with [redacted] [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 12 August 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC (The source is clearly a Pakistani government official).

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997g. Afghanistan: [redacted] Briefs the Ambassador on His Activities. Pleads for Greater Activism By UN [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 27 August 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC (The source is clearly a Pakistani government official).

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1997h. Afghanistan: Taliban Decision-Making and Leadership Structure [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 30 December 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1998a. Afghanistan: [redacted] Describes Pakistan’s Current Thinking [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 9 March 1998. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1998b. Bad News for Pak Afghan Policy: GOP Support for the Taliban Appears to Be Getting Stronger [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 1 July 1998. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1998c. Afghanistan: In July 2 Meeting, [redacted] Defends Discriminatory Edicts on Women and Girls, and Controls on NGO’s [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 2 July 1998. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, Thomas W. 1998d. In Bilateral Focussed on Afghanistan, GOP Reviews Pak/Iran Effort; Inderfurth Expresses US Concerns About the Taliban [from US Embassy Islamabad to Secretary of State Albright]. 23 July 1998. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbott, Strobe. 1997. Afghanistan: Meeting with the Taliban [Secretary of State Albright to US Embassy Islamabad]. 11 December 1997. US Department of State, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talking Points Regarding Osama bin Laden for DCI’s 2 September 1998 SSCI Briefing. 2 September 1998. Central Intelligence Agency, document accessed at the National Security Archive, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Security Council Resolution 1076 (22 October 1996). Web.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, Lawrence. 2007. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. New York: Vintage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Levermore Global Scholars Program, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA

    Jonathan Cristol

Authors
  1. Jonathan Cristol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Cristol, J. (2019). The Taliban Take Kabul and a New Friend Moves to Kandahar. In: The United States and the Taliban before and after 9/11. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97172-8_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation