London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Once Enemies, US And Taliban Find Common Ground Against ISIS

Once Enemies, US And Taliban Find Common Ground Against ISIS

The situation is awkward for both the U.S. and the Taliban. Each side wants to prevent Afghanistan from turning into a key staging ground for Islamic State fighters to plot global terrorist attacks, but they also find it politically unpalatable -- if not impossible -- to cooperate.

After fighting each other for 20 years, the U.S. and Taliban are suddenly finding their interests aligned against a common enemy -- but their own bloody history stands in the way of eliminating the threat.

The blast at Kabul airport late Thursday, which killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 60 Afghans, showed the world the terrorism risks emanating from Afghanistan as American troops prepare to leave next week. After the attack, President Joe Biden vowed to strike against the extremist group ISIS-K while explaining why the U.S. is cooperating with the Taliban on the evacuation.

It's "in the interest of the Taliban that in fact ISIS-K does not metastasize beyond what it is," Biden said when asked why the U.S. depended on its longtime adversary to secure the perimeter of the airport. He added: "It's not a matter of trust -- it's a matter of mutual self interest."

Asked later if U.S.-Taliban cooperation would continue beyond the evacuation, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said "I don't want to get ahead of where we are."

The situation is awkward for both the U.S. and the Taliban. Each side wants to prevent Afghanistan from turning into a key staging ground for Islamic State fighters to plot global terrorist attacks, but they also find it politically unpalatable -- if not impossible -- to cooperate.

For the U.S., the Taliban's treatment of women and political opponents has spurred calls for diplomatic isolation and financial sanctions. Yet that only risks weakening the Taliban and emboldening rival Islamic extremists, undermining Biden's claim that the U.S. accomplished its mission of rooting out terrorism in Afghanistan.

At the same time, the Taliban face a dilemma: They want good relations with the international community to stabilize the country, but cooperating with the U.S. to fight Islamic State could spur a backlash that prompts more rank-and-file members to join the more violent extremist group.

"The situation is tough for the Taliban -- what will they tell their cadres who have lost lives to this cause of throwing out the U.S. invaders?" said Kabir Taneja, author of "The ISIS Peril: The World's Most Feared Terror Group and its Shadow on South Asia."

"They want no U.S. presence in any of these places," he added. "So in a sense, we are back to square one unless Biden lets this go. Whatever happens now in Afghanistan will have wider international consequences."

Islamic State Khorasan, a local franchise of the group in Iraq and Syria, was formed largely by defectors from the Taliban and Tehrik-e-Taliban, a U.S.-designated terrorist group dedicated to overthrowing Pakistan's government. While ISIS-K was nearly wiped out by both U.S. and Taliban strikes, the group is estimated to have about 2,000 fighters.

ISIS-K has been responsible for some of Afghanistan's most lethal attacks in recent years, such as targeting schoolgirls, hospitals and even a maternity ward in Kabul, killing newly born babies and pregnant women.

'Routed and Dispersed'


Biden on Thursday vowed to strike the assets, leadership and facilities of ISIS-K terrorists "at the place we choose, and the moment of our choosing." He spoke about an "over-the-horizon" capability to fight terrorism that didn't require a U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan.

Still, American success in doing that hinges largely on "how far away the horizon is" as well as the strength of local partners, according to William Wechsler, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism.

"In this case in Afghanistan our local partners have just been routed and dispersed," Wechsler, now the director of Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council, told Bloomberg Television. "The longer term threat is quite troubling."

Without a presence in landlocked Afghanistan, it's unclear exactly how the U.S. would conduct strikes against terrorists. In May, the Wall Street Journal reported that Biden administration officials were looking to base forces and equipment in Central Asia and the Middle East, particularly as Pakistan -- the major staging ground for the 2001 invasion -- is now off limits.

Pakistan, China


The U.S. has a long history of conducting drone strikes against terrorists in Pakistan, a touchy subject that previously spurred protests in the country even though more than 70,000 Pakistanis were killed in attacks over the past few decades. Prime Minister Imran Khan this week cited the drone strikes "by our own allies" in explaining why he "won't let our country to be used by the outsiders."

While China also has an interest in preventing Afghanistan from becoming a hotbed of terrorism, leaders in Beijing have sided with close friend Pakistan in blocking the United Nations Security Council from listing groups targeting India as terrorists. That strategy has been risky: Chinese interests have been targeted by bombs in Pakistan, where it is financing more than $60 billion infrastructure and energy projects.

"China is perfectly okay with a level of instability in its other client, Pakistan," said C. Christine Fair, a Georgetown University professor who has written numerous books on South Asia and terrorism. "What China wants is that none of these Islamist terrorists turn their guns on China."

'There's Nothing the Americans Can Do'


The Taliban's swift victory over the U.S.-backed Afghan army also served as a recruiting opportunity for ISIS-K, particularly as the lack of a central government gives room for terrorists to regroup.

Moreover, intelligence-sharing between the former Afghan government and other nations is now halted at a time when many jailed terrorists have been set free.

ISIS-K sees Afghanistan as a "big opportunity space" particularly as the Taliban demonstrate they don't yet have control of the country, said Greg Barton, chair in global Islamic politics at Deakin University in Australia.

"There's nothing the Afghan Taliban can easily do about this," Barton told Bloomberg Television. "And despite what President Biden says, there's nothing the Americans can do."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×