“Bin Laden’s worldview apparently also helped persuade the Taliban to destroy Afghanistan’s most famous historical treasure, the centuries-old statues of Buddha in Bamian. To extreme Wahhabi believers like bin Laden, these were idols to a pagan god. To [Taliban leader] Mullah [Mohammad] Omar and his followers, they were also symbols of a pre-Islamic past they wanted to obliterate. In [March 10] 2001 the Taliban systematically destroyed them with the help of Pakistani military advisers, according to the residents of the region.”
– Bruce Riedel, The Search for Al Qaeda, Page 67