10 October 2011 Last updated at 11:05 ET

Secret of the Taliban's successDefecting Taliban fighters drive through the front line in the village of Amirabad, northern Afghanistan, Saturday Nov. 24, 2001. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic)

Ten years ago the Taliban melted away without a fight - only to re-emerge as a sophisticated guerrilla force which has taken on the might of the US military. M Ilyas Khan explains how.

Will US cut reverse Afghan gains?

What will President Obama's announcement that 33,000 US troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012 mean for the battle against the insurgents in the short and long term?

Background

Bin Laden's death: How it happened How the operation to kill Osama Bin Laden unfolded and where it happened. compound promo

Can Afghan army survive Nato exit? The Afghan army faces a crucial period of transition, says the BBC's Caroline Wyatt. An Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldier checks a weapon in Helmand Province on 2 March 2011

Who are the Taliban? BBC News looks at the history of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Pakistan Taliban member

Tough task ahead How to transfer control of security from foreign forces to Afghan forces Afghan soldier ahead of an operation in Helmand province - 17 July 2010

America's secret war Mapping US drone and Islamic militant attacks in Pakistan Post flight inspections of the Predator

Exit strategy The BBC's John Simpson looks at the reliability of the Afghan army Afghan National Army soldiers participate in exercises with Nato forces outside Herat, Afghanistan

Features & Analysis

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