5 Years Back in Power, the Taliban Has Russia in Its Pocket and Now Eyes the US
Donald Trump negotiated the US withdrawal from Afghanistan; Joe Biden carried it out with catastrophic results. Five years later, the Taliban remains brutally repressive but increasingly difficult to isolate, with Russia formally recognizing its government and Kabul now courting US diplomats and investment.
Five years after reclaiming power, the Taliban finds itself aligned with Russia and now targeting the United States. On August 15, 2026, the group marked its fifth year of rule in a ceremony outside the former US Embassy. After President Ashraf Ghani fled and American diplomats evacuated the embassy, the Taliban tightened restrictions on women's rights, bolstered its relationship with Russia, and expressed interest in collaborating with Washington.
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi suggested that the U.S. could reopen its embassy and invest in Afghanistan's resources, urging a new era of cooperation. The Taliban emerged during the aftermath of the Soviet withdrawal and civil war, seizing Kabul in 1996 and enforcing a strict Islamic code that denied women education and employment, while providing refuge to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
The U.S. invasion in 2001 ousted the Taliban, but the subsequent 20-year effort to rebuild Afghanistan proved ineffective. Despite advancements, the nation remained plagued by corruption, centralization, and heavy reliance on foreign aid. The Taliban never entirely vanished, regrouping and establishing bases in Pakistan before reactivating their insurgency.
The 2020 Doha Agreement allowed for U.S. withdrawal by May 1, 2021, but the Taliban's decision to negotiate with other Afghan factions, rather than the government, signaled their intent to reclaim control. Despite attempts to avoid withdrawal, the decision ultimately led to the Taliban's takeover and the chaotic evacuation of the U.S. Embassy.
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