Abstract
With the fall of Kabul, the Taliban is ready to exert control over Afghanistan 20 years after US-led forces deposed the organization. This has generated a sense of panic, leading to a mass exodus of foreign diplomatic missions and local Afghans and a commiserate return of human rights violations, which the United Nations has warned could become a full-blown “humanitarian catastrophe.”1
The return of Taliban to power not only bodes ill for the ordinary Afghan population but also threatens the regional and international security architecture. The sole purpose of the US invasion of Afghanistan was to destroy the terrorist infrastructure that prevailed under the Taliban regime and to restore the human rights that the organization had destroyed in Afghanistan. However, the current Taliban leadership would have the world believe that the group’s perception has changed and become much more moderate compared to the Taliban of 1990s.
Few in the international community view this claim as serious. Reports have surfaced that indicate that the Taliban has carried out atrocities in the regions it recently captured3 and has executed surrendered Afghan special forces.4 Therefore, with the Taliban’s return to power, it can be argued that various nontraditional security threats—ranging from illicit drug trafficking to the revival of terrorist safe havens—will be major issues of concern.
The return of Taliban to power not only bodes ill for the ordinary Afghan population but also threatens the regional and international security architecture. The sole purpose of the US invasion of Afghanistan was to destroy the terrorist infrastructure that prevailed under the Taliban regime and to restore the human rights that the organization had destroyed in Afghanistan. However, the current Taliban leadership would have the world believe that the group’s perception has changed and become much more moderate compared to the Taliban of 1990s.
Few in the international community view this claim as serious. Reports have surfaced that indicate that the Taliban has carried out atrocities in the regions it recently captured3 and has executed surrendered Afghan special forces.4 Therefore, with the Taliban’s return to power, it can be argued that various nontraditional security threats—ranging from illicit drug trafficking to the revival of terrorist safe havens—will be major issues of concern.
Original language | English |
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Specialist publication | The Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs |
Publication status | Published - 27 Aug 2021 |