After 20 years of war, the Taliban has finally succeeded in taking control over most of Afghanistan. The Taliban completed its shockingly fast capture of Kabul on 15th August 2021. It came after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan following a deal between the US and the Taliban, two decades after US forces removed the militants from power in 2001.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Taliban forces have pledged not to allow Afghanistan to become a base for terrorists who could threaten the West.
Why did the US fight a war in Afghanistan and why did it last so long?
Back in 2001, the US was responding to the famous 9/11 attacks in New York. It identified the culprit as the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, and its leader Osama-Bin Laden. Laden was in Afghanistan, under the protection of the Taliban. When they refused to hand him over, the US intervened militarily, quickly removing the Taliban and vowing to support democracy and eliminate the terrorist threat.
Nato allies had joined the US and a new Afghan government took over in 2004 but deadly Taliban attacks continued. President Barack Obama's "troop surge" in 2009 helped push back the Taliban but it was not long term.
In 2014, at the end of what was the bloodiest year since 2001, Nato's international forces ended their combat mission, leaving responsibility for security to the Afghan army.
That gave the Taliban momentum and they seized more territory.
Peace talks between the US and the Taliban started tentatively, with the Afghan government pretty much uninvolved, and the agreement on a withdrawal came in February 2020 in Qatar.
The US-Taliban deal did not stop the Taliban attacks - they switched their focus instead to Afghan security forces and civilians, and targeted assassinations. Their areas of control grew.
Timeline of events since 2001
11th September 2001: 9/11 Attacks in New York
Four commercial airliners are hijacked. Two are flown into the World Trade Centre in New York, which collapses. One hits the Pentagon building in Washington, and one crashes into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people are killed.
13th November 2001: Fall of Kabul
The Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban rebels backed by coalition forces, enters Kabul as the Taliban fled the city.
7th December 2004: Hamid Karzai becomes President
Hamid Karzai, the leader of the Popalzai Durrani tribe, becomes the first president under the new constitution. He serves two five-year terms as president.
2nd May 2011: Osama Bin Laden is Killed
The leader of al-Qaeda is killed in an assault by US Navy Seals on a compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan. Bin Laden’s body is removed and buried at sea. The operation ends a 10-year hunt led by the CIA. The confirmation that Bin Laden had been living on Pakistani soil fuels accusations in the US that Pakistan is an unreliable ally in the war on terror.
2015: Taliban Resurgence
The Taliban launched a series of suicide attacks, car bombings and other assaults. The parliament building in Kabul and the city of Kunduz are attacked. Islamic State militants begin operations in Afghanistan.
29th February 2020: US signs Deal with Taliban
The US and the Taliban sign an “agreement for bringing peace” to Afghanistan, in Doha, Qatar. The US and Nato allies agree to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal.
16th August 2021: Taliban return to power
In just over a month, the Taliban sweep across Afghanistan, taking control of towns and cities all over the country, including Kabul. Afghan security forces collapsed in the face of the Taliban advance.
What could happen next?
Women face an uncertain future. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen says the group will respect the rights of women and minorities "as per Afghan norms and Islamic values".
The militants had declared an amnesty across Afghanistan and said it wanted women to join its government.
But there are fears over women's freedom to work, to dress as they choose, or even to leave home alone under Taliban rule.
Another major fear is that the country will once again become a training ground for terrorism.
Taliban officials insist that they will fully adhere to the US deal and prevent any group from using Afghan soil as a base for attacks against the US and its allies.
They say they aim only to implement an "Islamic government" and will not pose a threat to any other country.
But many analysts say the Taliban and al-Qaeda are inseparable, with the latter's fighters heavily embedded and engaged in training activity.
It is also important to remember that the Taliban are not a centralised and unified force. Some leaders may want to keep the West muted by not stirring up trouble but hardliners may be reluctant to break links with al-Qaeda.
Just how powerful al-Qaeda is and whether it could now rebuild its global network is also unclear.
Then there is the regional branch of the Islamic State group - ISKP (Khorasan Province) - which the Taliban oppose.
Like al-Qaeda, ISKP has been degraded by the US and Nato but could use the post-withdrawal period to regroup.
Its fighter numbers could be only between a few hundred and 2,000 but it may try to gain footholds in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and parts of Tajikistan, which could be a serious regional concern.
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