<P> The first major military activity of the Taliban was in October -- November 1994 when they marched from Maiwand in southern Afghanistan to capture Kandahar City and the surrounding provinces , losing only a few dozen men . Starting with the capture of a border crossing and a huge ammunition dump from warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar , a few weeks later they freed `` a convoy trying to open a trade route from Pakistan to Central Asia '' from another group of warlords attempting to extort money . In the next three months this hitherto `` unknown force '' took control of twelve of Afghanistan 's 34 provinces , with Mujahideen warlords often surrendering to them without a fight and the `` heavily armed population '' giving up their weapons . By September 1996 they had captured Afghanistan 's capital , Kabul . </P>
<P> The first major military activity of the Taliban was in October -- November 1994 when they marched from Maiwand in southern Afghanistan to capture Kandahar City and the surrounding provinces , losing only a few dozen men . Starting with the capture of a border crossing and a huge ammunition dump from warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar , a few weeks later they freed `` a convoy trying to open a trade route from Pakistan to Central Asia '' from another group of warlords attempting to extort money . In the next three months this hitherto `` unknown force '' took control of twelve of Afghanistan 's 34 provinces , with Mujahideen warlords often surrendering to them without a fight and the `` heavily armed population '' giving up their weapons . By September 1996 they had captured Afghanistan 's capital , Kabul . </P>
when did the taliban first take over afghanistan
when did the taliban first take over afghanistan
September 1996
September 1996