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They join because the Afghan government is unjust, corrupt, or simply not there. Most of the fighters do not join the Taliban for money. Analysts who describe a 90/10 split between the so-called “$10 Taliban,” who are said to fight for money, and committed core fighters are mistaking the fact that some Taliban are part-time, non-professional fighters to mean that they are non-committed. Is that accurate, and if not, why do people join the Taliban? We often hear that the Taliban are 90 percent hired hands.
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How are the Taliban connected to al-Qaeda?.How are the Taliban different from al-Qaeda?.Are the Taliban less messianic now than they were before? Have they become more moderate at all?.Is there an economic and smuggling dimension to the Taliban’s work?.How many Taliban are there in Afghanistan?.
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In recent weeks, reporters have seized on intelligence analyses concluding that most of the Taliban in Afghanistan are economically motivated, and only a small percentage are actually committed to the fight on principle.
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