Examines the emergence of the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan during 1994-98 and its influence on Muslim populations in Afghanistan’s neighboring countries of Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and China. The Taliban-operated political party Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) became an important recruiter of Muslims in Pakistan during 1994-99, and supported Islamic militants in Uzbekistan and Iran. Islamic radical Usama bin Ladin, protected from extradition to the United States by the Taliban government, funded terrorist and military activities in Afghanistan and abroad largely through smuggling large amounts heroin and opium into Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan.
