Enemies after 9/11, US and Taliban inch towards uneasy alliance against Isis-K
- Both sides look to have cooperated to quash Isis-K in a province of Afghanistan last year, paving the way for a deal on the US troop withdrawal
- Analysts say a ‘marriage of counterterrorism convenience’ looks likely as Washington pursues Isis-K and the Taliban looks to remove threats to its rule
The deadly terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001 prompted an outcry from around the world: “We are all Americans.” But even before the dust had settled around the World Trade Centre, Washington’s policies realigned around fighting terrorism and bilateral relationships strengthened or crumbled depending on where other governments stood. Wars and occupations ensued, ending in a rushed military withdrawal from Afghanistan by US forces last month. In the second in a series about the legacy of 9/11, Tom Hussain explores the prospects of the US and Taliban leaders now working together to combat a common rival – Isis-K.
Pentagon officials in Washington hinted at this on Wednesday, even as they expressed some wariness, with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin saying the United States was working with the Taliban on “a very narrow set of issues”.
“It’s hard to predict where this will go in the future with respect to the Taliban,” he said.
But when asked at the same briefing if the military would cooperate with the Islamist group – which will lead the new government in Kabul – on fighting Islamic State Khorasan Province (Isis-K), General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: “It’s possible.”
Two security experts told This Week in Asia the Taliban might have provided intelligence to the US for its recent retaliatory drone strikes against Isis-K militants near the city of Jalalabad and in Kabul. The terror group operates in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The August 26 suicide bombing and assault on the Kabul airport killed some 170 civilian evacuees and 13 US soldiers, with the Taliban saying at least 28 of its fighters manning the security perimeter at the airport also died in the attack.
