To emphasize the change in government, in 1996 the Taliban changed the name of the country to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The nation would be governed by mullahs and religious scholars rather than politicians. And the new government would be, noted Taliban officials proudly, the only one of its kind anywhere on the planet.

"These Principles Are Eternal"

Mullah Mohammad Omar was the supreme head of the government. His edicts were automatically law—there was no legislature to vote on policies. Omar did preside over a tenmember council, called the Supreme Shura, which he could consult on particular issues facing the nation.

Of course, thousands of Taliban were needed to make the new government work— from regional and local governors and judges to soldiers, police, and checkpoint officers. Roughly thirty-five thousand Taliban—most from Afghanistan but many from Pakistan...