by the time they reached kabul, the leadership of the taliban is saying, we will seize power, we will rule this country. their first act as victors was the torture and execution of former communist leader najibullah and his brother, whose bodies were hanged from a lamppost. within 2a hours, the taliban imposed a strict interpretation of islamic law. they banned all women from work, which led to the health service and schools almost completely closing down. they enforced a strict dress code, with head to toe cover for women, and men ordered to grow beards. music and art were banned.
country and occupying it. now, if they had their ownjet fighters, at the air force base in bagram and herat, they would be within range that they could have control of the persian gulf and the world s oil supply. afghanistan s soviet installed leader, babrak karmal, continued the previous policies. mass education and more freedom for women remained a priority. many saw it as a positive.
had a new leader mikhail gorbachev prepared to embark on a programme of reforms he hoped would revitalise the soviet union. one of his main aims was to get soviet troops out of afghanistan. gorbachev first replaced karmal with a new leader, mohammad najibullah, the former head of the hated secret police. he also agreed to peace talks. united nations peace talks in geneva began in 1986, aiming to end the war. americans wanted mujahideen involvement. the soviets insisted the communist afghan government remain. the soviets insisted on supporting the afghan communists, which was then president najibullah, and they said they would continue supporting with food and weapons. so the americans had turned around and said, if you re going to do that, we re going to continue supporting the afghan mujahideen. so, ok, you leave and the afghan mujahideen and the afghan communists will continue fighting each
Since the Taliban seized power, it has vandalized or destroyed the graves of some of its slain foes, including prominent military commanders in the former Afghan Army. The militants have also targeted monuments dedicated to figures who fought the group during its first stint in power in the 1990s.