WIREDGOV

EXPERT COMMENT

In the absence of diplomatic recognition, Afghanistan’s Taliban government would welcome engagement on migration management as a way to build rapport with the West.

Four years after returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban regime marked the occasion as ‘Victory Day’ earlier this month. In the absence of any meaningful and sustained opposition, domestic or otherwise, the Taliban regime has consolidated its power in the years since 2021. Despite horrendous restrictions on women and girls, including a ban on female education beyond grade six, the Taliban regime’s power is buoyed by a combination of pragmatic, tacit and genuine endorsement at the regional level.

In April 2025, Russia’s supreme court suspended a ban on the Taliban, removing the group from Russia’s list of terror organizations. In July, Russia became the first – and so far the only – country to offer the Taliban government diplomatic recognition. Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban foreign minister, welcomed Moscow’s endorsement as ‘courageous’, arguing that this was simply accepting the reality in Afghanistan.

Reporting on Afghanistan has subsided as other conflicts, regions and issues have come to dominate headlines – except when it concerns Western domestic policy. Afghanistan returned to the UK news agenda when the Ministry of Defence admitted to dozens of data breaches concerning applications for relocation by Afghans who had worked with UK armed forces in Afghanistan. 

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.