Taliban and al-Qaida

Q: Could you explain in really simple terms the difference between the Taliban and al-Qaida?

A: The Taliban and al-Qaida are Islamic extremist groups joined in battle against the United States.

The Taliban, Arabic for religious students, ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, when they were ousted by an American-led invasion following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a New York Times history. Their rule was characterized by strict adherence to fundamentalist Islamic law.

Al-Qaida, often spelled al-Qaeda, is a terrorist network first formed to drive the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan. It was created by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian native who orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks.

During their reign over Afghanistan, the Taliban sheltered bin Laden’s al-Qaida. After the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush demanded that the Taliban give up bin Laden. When they refused, the United States launched a major air and ground campaign that drove the Taliban out of major Afghan cities. U.S. forces also battled al-Qaida in the Afghan mountains, killing and capturing some of its leaders, but not bin Laden.

With U.S. forces turning their main attention to Iraq, the Taliban regained strength in Afghanistan. President Obama has increased the number of American troops in Afghanistan to battle the Taliban.