Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy in Brief

Afghanistan under the Taliban, the Sunni Islamist group that retook power in 2021 as the United States ended its 20-year military and development mission in Afghanistan, remains one of the world’s poorest countries and a haven for some international terrorist groups. U.S. policy under the second Administration of President Donald Trump has been characterized by reversals of post-2021 U.S. efforts to provide assistance to the people of Afghanistan and to secure the removal and resettlement of Afghans who worked for the United States and former U.S.-backed government. The Taliban’s post-2021 rule has nearly exceeded their previous 1996-2001 rule in length, and has arguably far surpassed it in terms of internal control and de facto international acceptance. The Taliban do not currently appear to face political or armed opposition that represent a serious threat to the group or its authoritarian rule. Signs of dissension in the group’s ranks have emerged along various lines, although the Taliban have a history of effectively managing internal disputes. Russia is the sole country to officially recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government, although dozens of others operate embassies in Kabul and/or have allowed the Taliban to staff Afghan diplomatic facilities abroad. The United States does not recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan and reports there are no U.S. diplomatic or military personnel in the country. Aspects of Taliban rule in Afghanistan include the following: A severely degraded human rights situation. The Taliban have placed extreme restrictions on women and girls, including bans on general education above the primary level and on formal employment in nearly any capacity. The continued presence of terrorist groups, including the Islamic State (a historic Taliban adversary) and Al Qaeda (a historic partner). A slowly stabilizing economy amidst ongoing humanitarian needs by nearly half of Afghans. The second Trump Administration has reversed the Biden Administration’s foreign assistance and immigration policies toward Afghanistan. U.S. assistance. The United States disbursed over $3.8 billion for humanitarian and development assistance in Afghanistan after October 2021. As of mid-2025, the Trump Administration “has terminated all foreign assistance awards with activities in Afghanistan,” per the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which itself terminated in January 2026. Relocation and resettlement of Afghan allies. For over three years after the U.S. withdrawal, the United States facilitated the relocation of Afghan allies who worked on behalf of former U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, resettling over 190,000 Afghans in the United States between August 2021 and mid-2025. The Trump Administration has ended these relocation efforts and has shuttered the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE). Citing national security concerns (including in the wake of the November 2025 shooting in Washington, DC, of two National Guard members by an Afghan national), the Administration has also suspended the processing of all visas to Afghans, including Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). Afghanistan appears to have since receded as a subject of public attention and as a foreign policy priority in the aftermath of the Taliban’s 2021 takeover; “Afghanistan” does not appear in either the 2025 National Security Strategy or the 2026 National Defense Strategy. A Trump Administration State Department official stated in February 2026 congressional testimony that a review of U.S. policy toward Afghanistan “is an ongoing process” and committed to “letting [Congress] know when we reach some sort of consensus.” Proposed legislation in the 119th Congress includes measures that would require reports on U.S. efforts to oppose foreign assistance to the Taliban by other countries (agreed to in the House in June 2025) and on Taliban restrictions on Afghan women and girls.