Iran is engaging Taliban leaders following their takeover in Afghanistan, hoping for stability and an end to the flow of Afghan refugees into Iran. Tehran is heralding a U.S. humiliation and the U.S. military withdrawal, which has led to the removal of American forces from near its eastern border. Iran is likely to try to develop leverage against the Taliban […]

Multiple suicide attacks claimed by IS-K rocked Kabul yesterday, injuring 140 people and killing another 60, including 11 U.S. Marines and one U.S. Navy medic, with these numbers likely to increase. A senior U.S. official had warned on Wednesday night of a “specific” and “credible” threat by IS-K against the Kabul airport, though it’s unclear what preventive measures were taken. […]

An Islamic State affiliate that is a sworn enemy of both the Taliban and the United States threatens a large-scale attack against the mission at the airport. The United States has been battling the Taliban and their militant partners in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda and the Haqqani network, for 20 years. But the biggest immediate threat to both the Americans and […]

ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the explosion that erupted near the Kabul airport on Thursday and killed at least 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans. U.S. officials had warned of an ISIS attack over the past week in wake of the sweeping Taliban takeover. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie of the U.S. Central Command said Thursday that the attackers were two […]

The Taliban’s recent capture of Kabul has the group poised to take back control over Afghanistan. Without question, a Taliban-led Afghanistan is going to be a hospitable operating environment for terrorists, insurgents, and militias of various stripes. But not all terrorist groups are created equal, in terms of capabilities, intent, or relationship to the Taliban. Counter-terrorism officials are alarmed that, […]

Indian External Affairs (Foreign) Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar presided over a UN Security Council meeting last week focused on threats posed by ISIL. Davood Moradian, Director General of the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, briefed the UNSC and accused the Islamic world of being passive observers. The UN Secretary-General’s report highlighted the growing terrorist threat in Africa and the importance of […]

Qatar has played an outsized role in facilitating the safe passage and evacuation of U.S. citizens and vulnerable Afghans from Afghanistan. The Biden administration has been criticized heavily for its handling of the evacuation, with charges that it was unprepared for such a complex operation despite setting the timeline. Coordination among allies has been challenging and untold numbers of private […]

When the tears dry, it is worth considering why there is so much upset about the fall of Kabul (or reconquest) by the Taliban and the messy withdrawal of US-led forces. A large shield is employed: women, rights of the subject, education. Remove the shield, and we are left with a simple equation of power gone wrong in the name […]