Predatory practices of the first governor of Uruzgan and associated Populzai leaders led to a systematic marginalization and alienation of non-Popalzai tribes, the Hotak tribe in Tirin Kot especially. Yet the shifting power balance from the Hotak to the Populzai alone does not explain why the Hotak rejoined the Taliban insurgency. In contrast, with the fall of the Taliban, the Hotak tribe lost the prominence it had enjoyed under the Taliban regime. Since Hamid Karzai came to power in late 2001, the Populzai tribe has been able to dominate local politics by appointing another Populzai as first Provincial Governor.
The Taliban insurgency in Tirin Kot is strongly shaped by a leadership conflict between the Populzai tribe of President Hamid Karzai and the Hotak tribe of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. Tirin Kot, Uruzgan: Power Struggles and Political and Economic Marginalization The cases underline similarities and differences between these two regions, and the necessity to understand local issues when trying to understand, and possibly counter, Taliban recruitment methods. After all, Afghanistan is a complex country, and circumstances of how and why young men may join the insurgency are very much influenced by social relations that differ across provinces and districts.ĭrawing on field research conducted in southern and central Afghanistan, two exemplary cases - the Tirin Kot district of Uruzgan province and the Chak district of Maidan Wardak province - are used to highlight the complex localized dynamics that drive young men to join the Taliban insurgency.
While some motivations driving the Taliban foot soldiers are similar across Afghanistan, others are specific to a given local context. However, the ability of the Taliban insurgency to mobilize recruits is complex and driven by a mix of political, economic, and social factors. The foot soldiers’ motivation is often attributed to ideology, poverty, and/or a lack of education. The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan seemingly benefits from an unlimited reservoir of “foot soldiers” ready to take up the fight against the Afghan government and its international military supporters.
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