This should be flashing in big bright letters for everyone looking at Afghanistan right now.
The Taliban and ISIS-K ***hate*** each other. Like, hate each other worse than the Taliban hates America hate each other.
To the Taliban, the Americans are infidels but a basically defeated foe and are now exiting quickly and peacefully, and they don’t see America coming back any time soon.
The Taliban sees ISIS-K as the newcomer on the block, ISIS-K sees itself as the wave of the future, and they clash bitterly on who represents “true” Islam. For two pious groups that’s a much more intense rivalry.
Not sure where the Taliban and Al-Qaeda stand these days or how much firepower the latter still has.
But the fact is if we are interested in preventing another terrorist attack originating from Afghanistan, we now have to swallow our pride and basically maintain as good relations with the Taliban as we can to keep ISIS-K down and out. Because yes, they are worse than the Taliban.
Human rights in Afghanistan will be the inevitable casualty, but that’s hardly unique and basically the choice we’ve made with respect to Saudi Arabia and so many other “allies” around the world.
The world is a cruel place.
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