The Taliban has completed the destruction of the major historical statues, despite protests from Islamic and non Islamic countries. The two large stone Buddha's in Bamiyan, a Shia area, were destroyed in part to punish the region for its support of the Northern Alliance. Many Afghans opposed the destruction, including Taliban members. It is thought that the entire incident was used to distract the population from the failure of the Taliban to deal with the growing famine and the continued Northern Alliance resistance.