Taliban and Al-Qaeda: The Unbreakable Relationship

After the Taliban successfully took control of Kabul through diplomatic and intimidatory means, which included using force and striking deals with warlords and local military commanders, it has reached out to other states for recognition.1 The Taliban realizes that without international recognition it would be difficult to achieve both domestic and international legitimacy. Recognition by the international community would help the Taliban to access around $9.5 billion in frozen reserves held overseas, which could help ease the current cash crunch that the Taliban regime is facing in Afghanistan.