V. Ya. BELOKRENITSKY Doctor of Historical Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Pashtun belt Keywords: insecurity, terrorism, regionalization of the Afghan conflict The Taliban problem remains acute. The future of Afghanistan largely depends on them. The United States and other NATO countries that ended their rule in the fall of 2001 are planning to leave the country by the middle of this decade. In essence, the West has not achieved its goals of establishing stability, conditions for economic recovery, social progress, and modernization. The successes that were achieved today with great effort and huge costs may "evaporate" tomorrow, after the withdrawal of the military contingent. For the Taliban and their allied groups are not broken and seem to be just waiting for the moment to re-establish their power. The names "Taliban" and "Taliban", i.e. student and Muslim students who seek primarily spiritual, inner knowledge, have become the self-designation of radical Afghan Islamists since the 90s of the last century. The first "apprentice" detachments established in Pakistan penetrated southern Afghanistan in the fall of 1994. They soon became an impressive force, having experienced both victories and defeats in battles with the Mujahideen (fighters for the faith) forces dominating the south and west of the country. The fratricidal war between various Mujahideen groups that occupied Kabul in late April 1992, ending 14 years of rule by secular, pro-Moscow forces, allowed the Taliban to gain a foothold. In November 1994, they captured the capital of southern Afghanistan - Kandahar, in September 1995, the main city of the west of the country-Herat, and in September 1996-the capital Kabul. This was followed by the brief era of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, led by the "commander of the faithful" Mullah Omar, which ended in 2001. The purpose of the article is to give a brief historical overview of the emergence of the border mountain ... Read more