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How long must the Taliban continue internal repression and support for terrorist groups before the international community recognizes the real scale of the threat?
In two months, it will be five years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. During these five years, despite the overwhelming evidence and documentation of the Taliban’s treatment of the Afghan people, as well as their sheltering of regional and international terrorist groups, the world has not only failed to take any meaningful action to end the group’s rule, but some countries have also been working to normalize the current situation and recognize the Taliban as the legitimate governing authority of Afghanistan.
Russia became the first country to recognize the Taliban last year, China was the first to officially accept the group’s ambassador in 2023, and although Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, India, and Türkiye have not formally recognized the Taliban, they have handed over Afghan embassies and consulates to Taliban representatives and established close working relations with the regime.
Pakistan, a country with a long history of supporting Afghan jihadist groups, initially believed that the Taliban’s return to power would serve its foreign policy interests in Afghanistan. However, today, Pakistan has shifted from being a supporter to an adversary and has itself suffered heavily from the Taliban’s rise to power.
