It’s been three and a half years since the Taliban resumed power in Afghanistan. Unrelenting in the pursuit of profit and control, the Taliban have repeatedly marketed themselves as the best guarantors of stability, but their claims are regularly disproven by their actions. Lies, extremism, violence, and graft remain central to their mafia-like rule, just as in the 1990s.
In seeking to advance security and prosperity for the United States, American leaders shouldn’t ignore the warning signs. It’s past time for the United States and the international community to use the tools at their disposal – such as expanding targeted sanctions – to hold the Taliban to account.
Engagement in lieu of accountability only empowers the Taliban. And it certainly doesn’t make America safer.
Just look at the facts.
Although the United States withdrew all troops from Afghanistan in 2021 – a key condition of the 2020 Doha Agreement between the United States and the Taliban – the Taliban failed to honor nearly all conditions of the joint declaration. Taking their flagrancy a step further, they officially declared the agreement invalid on its fifth anniversary in February.
Despite early guarantees of an amnesty for government officials, advocates, and members of the Afghan military, the Taliban have made swift work of hunting down those they promised to leave in peace. Men and women have been disappeared, tortured, and executed for daring to stand in support of the United States and the universal values of freedom, dignity, and opportunity for all.
The Taliban have relentlessly and methodically erased female Afghans from public life, ignoring their own early assurances to protect women’s role within society. Afghan children face horrific odds due to widespread malnutrition, preventable illnesses, and rampant poverty, while the Taliban steal humanitarian aid from innocent communities.
As the regime brags about tax revenue and trade and investment opportunities, most Afghans are food insecure and lack access to basic services like health care. Meanwhile, the Taliban prioritize spending on defense and intelligence services – including Chinese surveillance technology.
Although they claim to have improved Afghanistan’s security situation, terrorists are both present and, in some cases, actively granted refuge, support, and leadership roles within the Taliban government.
Martyrdom brigades are openly lauded by Taliban leaders. Suicide bombers’ families are publicly rewarded, receiving government-funded benefits at the expense of vulnerable populations, widows, orphans, and the disabled.
Senior members of the Haqqani Network – which the United States designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2012 – serve in official capacities within Taliban controlled ministries. While the U.S. dropped bounties long offered for three senior Haqqani leaders in March, they remain on the Special Designated Global Terrorists list.
Members of other terrorist organizations – like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Tajik Taliban (both al-Qaida affiliates) – have actively received refuge in Afghanistan, including training camps and foreign jihadist units. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has continued to expand its influence, posing “the greatest extra regional terrorist threat,” according to a United Nations Security Council report in February.
Taliban leaders, in their frequent visits abroad, continue to engage with fellow autocrats and other malign actors (including Hamas) that run counter to U.S. interests.
In addition to unconscionable bans on education for many female Afghans, the Taliban have promptly dismantled existing education infrastructure in favor of religious madrassas. This includes replacing national curriculum subjects like science and social studies with propaganda-fueled instruction that emphasizes “seeds of hatred against Western countries,” according to Hasht-e Subh and The Diplomat.
Instead of engaging with the Taliban, the international community should use existing but underutilized mechanisms like targeted sanctions to hold the Taliban accountable. As the Bush Institute documented in its Captured State project, the international community’s leverage has changed, but a plethora of options remain.
It’s urgent that they act now: Over 90 percent of Taliban leaders aren’t subject to any form of targeted sanctions. And most Taliban enjoy a concerning level of freedom of movement and access around the world.
Travel ban exemptions are approved by U.N. Security Council members – the United States included – with concerning frequency for the minority of Taliban leaders that are subject to U.N. sanctions, the Bush Institute documented. And the U.N. hasn’t added a single name to the list of sanctioned Taliban officials in a decade.
In the absence of more robust targeted sanctions, it’s worth noting too that the Taliban enforce a 49 percent tariff on U.S. imported products in Afghanistan, but reciprocal tariffs totaled only 10 percent. This is noteworthy, especially as customs revenue has served as a prominent source of foreign currency for the Taliban. The Taliban should be designated as an FTO under U.S. law. The United States and others should also scrutinize the Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan’s government ministries, subnational entities, and enterprises, which have become conduits for illegal activity and human rights abuses. These institutions should be designated as primary money laundering concerns under Section 311 of the USA Patriot Act.
Most importantly, the United States cannot turn its back on the courageous Afghans who risked their lives in support of American values and a shared hope of a peaceful future for all. The U.S. must immediately resume processing and resettling Afghan refugees.
A legitimized Taliban won’t strengthen prosperity or stability for anyone but the Taliban. Most concerning, U.S. inaction demonstrates to tyrants and terrorists everywhere that brutality and corruption yield results.