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Dr. Asfandyar Mir is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. His research focuses on international security issues, U.S. counterterrorism policy, al-Qaeda, and South Asian security affairs, with a focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. His research has been published in International Security, International Studies Quarterly, and Security Studies. His commentary has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Lawfare, H-Diplo, and the Washington Post.
Afghanistan’s Terrorism Challenge: The Political Trajectories of al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and the Islamic State
Afghanistan remains at the center of U.S. and international counterterrorism concerns. As America prepares to pull out its military forces from the country, policymakers remain divided on how terrorist groups in Afghanistan might challenge the security of the U.S. and the threat they pose to allies and regional countries. Advocates of withdrawal argue that the terrorism threat from Afghanistan is overstated, while opponents say that it remains significant and is likely to grow after the drawdown of U.S. forces. This report evaluates the terrorism challenge in Afghanistan by focusing on the political trajectories of three key armed actors in the Afghan context: al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and the Islamic State.
