No 1992 Afghan Civil War

What if, in the aftermath of the mujaheddin defeat of the pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan, there was no civil war among the mujahadeen that destroyed the country's cities and caused such anarchy that the Taliban were initially welcomed?

The main POD I can think of to get this to happen is to have Gulbuddin Hekmatyar die at some point during the anti-Soviet phase of the war, leaving the Pakistanis without a proxy (or at least one as brutal as OTL) to undermine the Peshawar Accord.

Alternatively, you could have Hekmatyar listen to Osama bin Laden (!) who told him not to challenge the new government, at least according to one of the above articles. Or have Hekmatyar make his initial bid for power, fail per OTL, and die in the process and thus be unable to try again.

This might deny al-Qaeda a safe haven they got in Afghanistan in OTL, unless some element of the rather fractious-looking post-Communist government decides to offer OBL sanctuary for old times' sake. The fact the Peshawar Accord handed out different ministries of the government to different Muj factions seems to be a recipe for trouble, though. This article here includes reasons for the rise of the Taliban OTL that could apply in TTL.
 
Last edited:
Top