If you look back on some of the first real heavy exposure the Taliban got in the West around 2001, it was because they destroyed 2000 years of Buddhist history by blowing up statues in Afghanistan that were popular tourist attractions. Peaceful religion, my ass. If they did one good thing, it was outlawing Opium poppy growing, harvesting and production of the resin. Later, they used that to raise money.
Fighters begin job of demolishing Afghanistan's statues.
www.theguardian.com