When the Taliban recaptured Kabul in August 2021, their victory was celebrated far beyond Afghanistan’s borders. In Bangladesh, many young men in madrasas and university dormitories shared images of Taliban fighters online, declaring them true Muslims who had defeated a superpower that they saw as dangerous for Islam. Tea stalls in metropolitan and rural towns filled with talk of how they endured decades of occupation yet emerged victorious. That same year, a senior official with the Bangladesh Police stated that some individuals from Bangladesh were attempting to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban. The story resonated in a country where 91% of the population is Muslim but the community is not monolithic.
Why does the Taliban remain a point of influence in Bangladesh? | Lowy Institute
