Taliban marked four years in power Friday, but aside from Russia, no country has recognized their rule.
In that time, the Taliban have rejected internal legitimacy through elections or allowing Afghans to determine their own political future. The United Nations says the Taliban’s rule has been marked by internal divisions within its leadership, though Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has consolidated power in Kandahar.
Political groups and armed opposition outside the country have failed to unify against the Taliban, and the Taliban say they have seen no sign of any challenge to their rule.
Four years ago, the collapse of the former government was followed by the Taliban’s entry into Kabul, mass evacuations by foreign forces and a stunned population. Since then, the U.N. has described the Taliban’s administration as mono-ethnic and composed solely of Taliban members.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly reported serious divisions within the Taliban leadership, particularly between Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Akhundzada over policy and power-sharing. But Akhundzada’s influence has not diminished.
A March 2025 U.N. report said Akhundzada “has taken further steps to consolidate his power, including convening important meetings under his leadership in Kandahar and appointing loyalists to key positions.”
The U.N.-led Doha process sought to break Afghanistan’s political deadlock, with a vision of forming an inclusive government, ensuring women’s participation and reintegrating the country into the international community. In late 2023, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2721 in support of this roadmap.
However, no U.N. mechanism has brought political change, and the process has instead opened the door for bilateral engagement with the Taliban, even from nations that have sharply criticized them, such as Germany.
“Global concern remains high that engagement has not improved the untenable situation for Afghan women and girls, promoted inclusive governance or prevented a sharp deterioration in human rights,” U.N. special envoy Roza Otunbayeva said earlier this year.
Russia is the only country to formally recognize the Taliban, a move welcomed by China. Even Pakistan and Qatar have stopped short of recognition, though many countries have engaged with the group and accepted Taliban diplomats.
In the U.N. Security Council, China and Russia have defended the Taliban, while the United States, France and the United Kingdom have taken a harder line.
“Nearly four years after the Taliban takeover, we are still having the same conversations with the same so-called Taliban officials without demanding results,” said Jonathan Shrier, the U.S. deputy representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council. “We have rewarded their failures with more engagement and resources.”
The Taliban have pursued foreign legitimacy while refusing to share power internally. Their all-male, Taliban-only administration operates from Kandahar, where Akhundzada’s edicts replace a constitution and other laws. Afghans have no right to protest or decide their political future.
Taliban officials insist they are delivering the Islamic system the people want — but critics ask whether anyone has truly asked the Afghan people.
