Reddit reviews Afghanistan: The Bear Trap: The Defeat of a Superpower
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> Founded originally by Islamic schoolboys from refugee communities, the Taliban assembled recruits by promising to end the banditry and looting of the Mujihadeen commanders after Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. They quickly secured extensive Pakistani funding as Pakistan's ISI believed they could unblock the bandit-infested roads on the border and would be a pliable partner.
The Taliban were (and probably remain) entirely funded, organized and even run by the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI).
To understand why, one needs to understand the purpose and logistics.
The Pakistani establishment is pursuing the policy of destabilising neighbouring countries for own interests almost as long as there is Pakistan. Correspondingly, the ISI's job is to organise, run and deploy such proxy groups - like the Taliban - for related purposes. That's what they've been doing in India-controlled-Kashmir at least since 1965, and that's what they've been doing in Afghanistan since at least 1978. Everything else - including such explanations like Islam, end of banditry and looting etc. - are simply PR-tools.
After the Soviet invasion of 1979, the ISI - through its Afghan Bureau - began supporting seven major Islamist parties ('Mujahidden'). No matter who provided how much, all the funding and all the aid supplied from abroad (primarily by the USA and KSA) was channeled exclusively through the ISI's Afghan Bureau - exclusively at discretion of the chief of that bureau and of course in accordance with the politics dictated from above, i.e. the then Pakistani president Zia ul-Haq (which is why the widespread belief that 'USA sponsored al-Qaeda' is as wrong).
In 1992, the Mujahidden destroyed the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and took Kabul, but then a major battle erupted between them, completely ruining the Pakistani designs (foremost related to Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami Party).
Therefore, the ISI 'returned to Rule No. 1' - and created a new proxy: the Taliban.
The entire Taliban 'war machinery' - ranging from all the bribing of diverse warlords that joined them in period 1994-1995 (thus enabling them to bring two thirds of the country under their control), to the leadership of every single of their military branches, down to the entire logistics system supporting their military and state - was run by the ISI. Which in turn is also explaining why they so quickly collapsed in October-November 2001. After 9/11, Bush Jr. confronted Musharaf with a choice: pull out all of your Pakistani 'military advisers' or face a military onslaught.
The latter did the obvious, though this never meant the ISI ceased supporting the Taliban - even after Bush Jr declared Pakistan for 'the most important non-NATO ally', in 2001-2002: it does so until this very day, which is 'how it can happen' that the troops of the ANA are regularly happy whenever shelling Pakistan, for example.
Recommended read (actually a 'must read'): Afghanistan, the Bear Trap.
my bad, i thought you were referring to the victims. The Punjabi Prince already exists
What do you think the objectives of a terrorist organization are? How would you counter said terrorist organization? How would you convince your fellow representatives to follow your initiative? How would you work against an Islamic power of Iran due to the collapse of Irans religious/local rivals due to american military presence in Iraq/Afghanistan?
Might I suggest reading How to Win a Cosmic War, Thinking Like a terrorist, Afghanistan: The Bear Trap, and Imperial Hubris to get some background on why the United States has/is losing the greater war on terror.