The story of Afghanistan’s political deceit began not on the battlefield but at a negotiation table in Doha, where the world placed its faith in diplomacy, and the Taliban mastered the art of deception. When the Doha Agreement was signed in February 2020 between the United States and the Taliban, it was hailed as a framework for peace, promising the end of America’s longest war and the beginning of Afghan reconciliation. Yet five years later, what stands before the world is a shattered accord, a destabilised region, and a regime that thrives on repression, radicalism, and lies. The Taliban exploited peace to prepare for war, used diplomacy to consolidate terror, and turned Afghanistan into a rogue state sustained by drugs, fear, and militancy.
The Doha Agreement had four main pillars. The first and most foundational pillar of the Doha Accord required that Afghan soil would not be used to threaten the security of the US or its allies. This clause demanded a clear severance from terrorist organisations, notably al-Qaeda and its affiliates. However, empirical evidence from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team’s 35th report (S/2025/71) reveals the opposite.
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