Some time ago, about October 2001, I shared how a CNN translation of an Afghani man who said "I will follow the Taliban" actually said "everything I have is in these bags, I will follow whomever feeds me". Most still only have two bags and will follow whomever feeds them. Funny, when we invaded the US military had ZERO Pashto speakers.
These tribes have provided a "buffer" between empires for generations and completely left alone. The Duran Line even went through individual tribes to make it chaotic. This is not a graveyard of empires but a group of people that remain after each empire departs and know by resisting change, they will outlast every invader.
So much of this area is tribal, completely isolated, uneducated, illiterate, and practice customs passed down for generations. They have tribal wars, true blood feuds, kill over land disputes and family insults and protect their lifestyle at all costs.
Most are honorable in their own sense of honor (killing over insults), but certainly some tribal leaders have become enriched beyond measure from Intelligence Agencies. Baluchistan (India), the K in ISIS (Iran), TTP (US to keep the roads open), are not big secrets, and they recruit the poor boys to do their bidding.
An 18-year old with a wife and child that are literally starving is promised they will be taken care of if he puts on a suicide vest - what are his choices? Cost, about $1,000 - the price of a Kalashnikov.
Training these men is extremely difficult. They cannot read - so how do you use a "training manual" or have them watch and record license plates or even vehicles? Some could better identify by horse than car. They are raised to be fearless "warriors" in their tribes, yet are mostly young, have never seen a movie, eaten at a restaurant or been with a woman except sisters and mothers.
We focused on educating the girls and women, yet they marry uneducated men such as these and the next generation returns to these standards.
It is far more complex that these simple lines, but some things I do know and the western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic (WEIRD) people do NOT understand.