Twenty-five years after serving as the global launchpad for the 9/11 attacks, Afghanistan has come "full circle" -- with the Taliban retaking power after a 20-year US-led military presence and Al-Qaeda operatives again finding safe haven in the country.So far, this has not led to major terror acts in Western capitals plotted in Afghanistan, let alone anything like the 9/11 attacks.But former military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials, as well as regional experts, have shared mixed views in interviews with RFE/RL on why this is. Some argued that the situation now is fundamentally different to that before 9/11. Others warned of a resurgent threat and a "ticking bomb."
Following 9/11, Washington decided to support an alliance of anti-Taliban forces to drive the Taliban from power and hunt down Al-Qaeda leaders based in the country. But this turned into a 20-year war with an enormous financial and human toll.In 2020, during Donald Trump's first term as US president, an agreement was signed with the Taliban under which international forces would withdraw and the Taliban would "not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al-Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies."Under the deal, the Taliban also committed not to allow "recruiting, training, and fundraising" by such groups or individuals.The Return Of Al-QaedaThe withdrawal eventually took place in 2021, under President Joe Biden. Since then, numerous reports by United Nations sanctions teams have documented the return of Al-Qaeda members to Afghanistan.One such report, in December 2025, described Afghanistan as the "symbolic homeland" for the group and noted "personal relationships and intermarriages" between Al-Qaeda and Taliban members."It is already harboring terrorists who have international aspirations. The next question is going to be whether they're going to carry those out. But has Afghanistan come full circle to where it was before 9/11? Yes, it has," former US diplomat Annie Pforzheimer told RFE/RL.Pforzheimer was the US deputy head of mission in Kabul in 2017-18 and acting deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for Afghan affairs in 2018-19.
