I do wonder how this backward country with extremely limited resources can overcome the might of the Soviet Armed Forces and a coalition American led take over...and yet Afghanistan does it...The country has been pounded by missiles and foreign powers since 1979 when the Soviets went in and yet here we are today, back to square one, I think its reasonable to assume both Iran and Pakistan help ..but still...... I really cannot get my head around this one.
Were! Taliban senior leadership were in Qatar, not Pakistan. For all of it's historic support, Pakistan now fears Taliban fever sweeping its tribal lands and setting of an insurgency inside their own country. That's why Pakistan spent so much money fencing the Aghan border crossings and erecting proper gates to control how many and who can cross from Afghanistan. Pakistan already has factions within its own political landscape and security forces who support the Taliban, but I doubt these want them making a grab for power in Pakistan - but they will still support them as long as they are only interested in Afghanistan. There is plenty of mineral wealth in Afghanistan (particularly rare earth metals), the only trouble is that in a land locked, high-mountain blocked country with no railways, how do you ship it all out? China has the wealth, the strategic infrastructure and the political power to want to invest, but they already have almost a stranglehold on the supply of such metals and may not want to rush things. More importantly, China would probably want Chinese military bases to protect their investment - they have tended to negotiate basing rights along with their major overseas infrastructure projects. The Taliban would think long and hard before inviting in a godless regieme who are possibly the only world power who thinks ultra long term, is strong enough, with enough troops and also heartless enough to deal successfully with Afghanistan. China has space enough to build concentration camps for Taliban as well as for its own Uyghur population. If it wanted to it could use its manpower to seal off the borders then round up and deport the entire Afghan population to isolated camps in China and replace them with Chinese labourers. The Taliban won't want to see their Caliphate of Afghanistan become The People's Republic Of Afghanistan and that strategic nightmare vision is perhaps why they will refuse any attempt to modernise their country. They are quite happy for their country to be undeveloped, they don't need development to grow poppies and they can make enough money taxing opium crops to pay their supporters (they've probably just captured enough military stores that they don't need to worry about buying any armaments for the next decade). This is why I expect the Taliban to stay within Afghanistan and keep it as a low technology, agrarian society. Allah doesn't mind poverty or lack of equality in his lands.
I agree that China would be the ones ruthless enough to destroy the Taliban, but along with Saudi Arabia they are almost certainly the biggest financial contributors towards their cause.
Financially supporting the Taliban to eject a US Led coalition force from a country on China's own doorstep is one thing. It is another strategic landscape once the westerners have gone so continuing to give them money is something entirely different.
