Are there any parallels between the revolutionaries in the American War of Independence, and the Taliban?

Please don’t think this is my opinion, nor am I trying to be offensive. I was talking to a lad from my brothers Mosque (incidentally, I’m Atheist not Muslim) at the weekend & he was arguing there is. I kinda see what he meant. About radicals forcing a scary philosophy onto a world that was not ready for it. & it is an interesting intellectual exercise. However I had numerous fundamental objections. What are your thoughts?