The rise of extremist groups and radicalization in Afghanistan and the broader region has deep and complex roots, shaped by a confluence of historical, political, and social factors. The Soviet invasion in the 1970s and the subsequent war with the Afghan Mujahideen laid the groundwork for the emergence of militant factions, as both external powers and local warlords fostered an environment ripe for radical ideologies. The fall of the Soviet Union and the power vacuum that followed exacerbated...