Who Are the Taliban?

This report from TomDispatch.com and the Nation, via Truthdig, is a bit long, but well worth reading.

When the U.S. and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001, "Afghans celebrated the downfall of a reviled and discredited regime," post author Anand Gopal reports. "...But years of mismanagement, rampant criminality, and mounting civilian casualties have led to a spectacular resurgence of the Taliban and other related groups." Apparently now many Afghans support the Taliban, and similar Islamic militant groups, because they see the militants as their protectors against rampant criminal activity.