Taliban

418 7.3

An Islamic group from Afghanistan that controls the country and imposes very strict religious rules

proper noun
/ˈtɑːlɪbɑːn/

: talibán

The Taliban emerged as a significant force in Afghanistan during the 1990s, establishing an Islamic government.
Afghan Taliban
Taliban in Afghanistan
Taliban government

He was there at the as a guest of the Taliban general.

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Examples

Partly because of U.S. and international aid, Afghanistan experienced a post-Taliban economic boom.

Academic text (2011)
There is no greater threat to the United States than a reconstituted Taliban presiding over Afghanistan.

Academic text (2011)
What people are feeling about the Taliban taking over everything?

Rich Roll
Our job is to separate the Taliban and the ordinary people.

The Outpost (2020)
Look what the Taliban gave the people of Afghanistan.
As you know, the Taliban was shooting rockets trying to hit us.
She'd also been an excellent student, but when the Taliban took over, they closed the school.

Fiction book (2002)
The United States and its allies are not on course to defeat the Taliban militarily.

Academic text (2011)
The return of the Taliban to Afghanistan would pose a major threat to India's security.

Academic text (2011)
The United States and its allies have been battling the Taliban for nearly a decade, to no conclusive effect.

Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

Taleban

vsTaliban

Literature

4 8.5

An armed Islamic group that controlled parts of Afghanistan and enforced strict religious rules

is the same name but spelled in an alternative form

Surface Forms

Taliban main

Etymology

Taliban comes from the word talib, used in Arabic and Pashto to mean 'student' or 'seeker'. It first named religious students at schools, so the group's name literally means 'the students', which helps explain how the movement began among those students and teachers.