The Taliban now guard Afghanistan's National Museum, where they once smashed objects
When the Taliban returned to power, cultural heritage advocates worried history might repeat itself and the group would destroy objects it found offensive. The museum is open now but has few visitors.
KABUL — One of the most striking sights at the National Museum of Afghanistan these days isn't inside the museum, but by its front gates.
Young, armed Taliban guards protect the entrance, searching visitors before they enter the museum grounds.
The last time the Taliban were in power, at the direction of then-leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, they smashed ancient statues and other objects in this museum that they deemed un-Islamic and idolatrous.
That was in 2001 — the same year the Taliban also blew up two carved into a cliffside in the city of Bamiyan.
