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Today in History: Taliban Oust President, Murder Najibullah, Form Emirate

By Drooid · Sep 27, 2026, 10:32 AM UTC · How we work

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Summary

Story summary

In 1996 the Taliban seized Kabul, ousting President Burhanuddin Rabbani, imprisoning former president Mohammad Najibullah in the UN compound, torturing him and killing him during the takeover, and proclaimed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a totalitarian Deobandi-Pashtun state that would rule most of the country until 2001.

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Story summary

In 1996 the Taliban seized Kabul, ousting President Burhanuddin Rabbani, imprisoning former president Mohammad Najibullah in the UN compound, torturing him and killing him during the takeover, and proclaimed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a totalitarian Deobandi-Pashtun state that would rule most of the country until 2001.