Taliban 3.0: The Terrorism Threat and a Humanitarian Nightmare

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — The withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan three years ago led to the fall of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul, the return of the Taliban to power and – in the last stages of the withdrawal – a terrorist attack at the Kabul airport that killed 200 people, including 13 members of the U.S. military. The recent anniversaries of these events have been marked by somber ceremonies in the U.S. and a Taliban-led military parade in Kabul – in which the group showed off U.S. military hardware that had belonged to the previous government.

The Cipher Brief spoke to several experts to ask a pair of questions: What has Taliban rule meant for Afghanistan? And how grave is the threat posed by jihadist groups that are once again operating in the country?