Renewed safe haven means al-Qaida and others will have space, infrastructure, fighters and arms to plot a comeback
- Lydia Khalil is an expert in international terrorism at the Lowy Institute
Following the withdrawal of US troops, the Taliban’s swift and summary takeover of Afghanistan territory and political leadership has left many wondering what their return to power means for international jihadism.
The last time the Taliban were in power, they ruled Afghanistan in a notoriously brutal manner and harboured al-Qaida – a transnational jihadist movement that conducted the largest terrorist attack in history against the United States – prompting the US invasion in 2001 and two decades of military involvement that came to its ignominious end just a few short days ago.
