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What was the relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda leading up to the September 11 attacks?
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Taliban
Taliban fighters sitting atop a Russian-made tank during a patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan, October 2, 2001.
Leading up to the September 11 attacks, the Taliban provided refuge and support to al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda, founded in 1988, evolved from a network supporting fighters against the Soviet Union into a global militant organization. The Taliban, which emerged in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, allowed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to establish his headquarters in the country.1234
Despite international pressure and demands from the United States to extradite bin Laden following the September 11 attacks, the Taliban refused. This refusal directly led to the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, aimed at dismantling al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power.15