Former Afghan Security Adviser Calls Taliban ‘War Orphans’ in New Book

DID Press: Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s former national security adviser, has described the Taliban as “war orphans” in his new book, Shadows Over Kabul, which examines the group’s ideological roots and the factors behind the collapse of Afghanistan’s former republic.

In the book, co-authored with investigative journalist Tam Hussein, Mohib argues that the Taliban emerged from decades of conflict and grew within religious seminaries in Pakistan, becoming detached from Afghanistan’s diverse religious and cultural heritage. He also describes the movement as a modern phenomenon, despite its claims to represent traditional Afghan values.

Mohib further argues that the Taliban administration has imposed a strict and relatively new interpretation of Islam on Afghanistan. He says the group’s rise should be understood in the context of the country’s political and social transformations during decades of war.

The book also examines the role of the United States, political Islamism and the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Mohib places the fall of Kabul in August 2021 within a wider struggle over religion, modernity and political power.