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April 1st, 2025 | 8:09 PM ET

Taliban 3.0: The Terrorism Threat and a Humanitarian Nightmare

Three years after the U.S. withdrawal, more than a dozen jihadist groups are active in Afghanistan.

EXPERT ANALYSIS
Taliban security personnel ride atop a military vehicle as they celebrate the third anniversary of Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in Kabul on August 14, 2024. (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)
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Posted: September 1st, 2024

By The Cipher Brief

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — The withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan three years ago led to the fall of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, the return of the Taliban to power and – in the last stages of the withdrawal – a terrorist attack at the Kabul airport that killed 200 people, including 13 members of the U.S. military. The recent anniversaries of these events have been marked by somber ceremonies in the U.S. and a Taliban-led military parade in Kabul – in which the group showed off U.S. military hardware that had belonged to the previous government.

The Cipher Brief spoke to several experts to ask a pair of questions: What has Taliban rule meant for Afghanistan? And how grave is the threat posed by jihadist groups that are once again operating in the country?

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Categorized as:Afghanistan Asia ReportingTagged with:

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