Trump’s New Approach to the Taliban

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Analysis Trump’s New Approach to the Taliban South Asia Brief on limited U.S. engagement with the regime in Kabul. Kugelman-Michael-foreign-policy-columnist13 Michael Kugelman By Michael Kugelman , the writer of Foreign Policy ’s weekly South Asia Brief and the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center. Beneath a blue sky, two men and two boys ride on the roof of a vehicle with another man visible in the passenger seat as he smiles out of the window. Another man in a black turban and black vest walks alongside the vehicle as it moves, with one hand reaching inside of it. The men on top of the car and other marchers around them wave the black-and-white flag of the Taliban. Taliban security personnel ride a vehicle in front of the former U.S. Embassy as they celebrate the third anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, seen on Aug. 14, 2024, in Kabul. Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now | Log In Foreign & Public Diplomacy United States Afghanistan Michael Kugelman March 26, 2025, 5:27 PM Comment icon View Comments ( 0 ) Last Thursday, the Taliban released U.S. citizen George Glezmann after more than two years of captivity. His release came on the same day that Adam Boehler, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, and Zalmay Khalilzad, a former top U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, made an unannounced visit to Kabul—the first known visit by U.S. officials to Afghanistan since 2021. Trump’s Second Term Ongoing reports and analysis Afghanistan announced on Sunday that the United States had lifted bounties on three Taliban leaders who were members of a faction called the Haqqani network, a U.S.-designated terror group that targeted U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Washington has not commented on the move, but Sirajuddin Haqqani—the most senior of the three—no longer appears on the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice website. Last Thursday, the Taliban released U.S. citizen George Glezmann after more than two years of captivity. His release came on the same day that Adam Boehler, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, and Zalmay Khalilzad, a former top U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, made an unannounced visit to Kabul—the first known visit by U.S. officials to Afghanistan since 2021. Trump’s Second Term Ongoing reports and analysis Afghanistan announced on Sunday that the United States had lifted bounties on three Taliban leaders who were members of a faction called the Haqqani network, a U.S.-designated terror group that targeted U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Washington has not commented on the move, but Sirajuddin Haqqani—the most senior of the three—no longer appears on the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice website. These developments suggest a significant change in the U.S. approach to the Taliban regime since the group retook power in 2021. U.S. officials have periodically engaged with Taliban leaders, including two days of face-to-face meetings in Doha, Qatar, in 2023, and the two sides negotiated earlier deals to release captive U.S. citizens. The Trump administration’s new tack can be attributed to its transactionalism. Its limited objectives in Afghanistan include the release of remaining captive U.S. citizens and the return of U.S.-made weapons . There are other things that the White House may want later, such as assistance on counterterrorism. Read more in today’s South Asia Brief: Trump Quietly Ups U.S. Engagement With the Taliban This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration . Follow along here . My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now | Log In Foreign & Public Diplomacy United States Afghanistan Michael Kugelman Michael Kugelman is the writer of Foreign Policy ’s weekly South Asia Brief. He is the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington. X: @michaelkugelman Read More On Afghanistan | Foreign & Public Diplomacy | Taliban | United States Join the Conversation Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription. Already a subscriber? Log In . Subscribe Subscribe View 0 Comments Join the Conversation Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now. Subscribe Subscribe Not your account? Log out View 0 Comments Join the Conversation Please follow our comment guidelines , stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs. You are commenting as . 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