The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is an unrecognized Islamic emirate that was first established in September 1996 by the Taliban, a Deobandi Islamist organization that began its governance of Afghanistan after the 1996 fall of Kabul. The group stayed in power until 2001, when it was toppled by a United States-led military coalition that invaded the country after the September 11 attacks, sparking the 20-year War in Afghanistan. The Taliban returned to power after the August 2021 fall of Kabul and has since had "de facto" control over most of the country.