At least 55 mid- and senior-level Taliban figures have direct or indirect ties to Al Qaeda, according to a new report by the Middle East Institute, raising renewed questions about the Taliban’s relations with transnational militant networks.
The report, updated in April, draws on a database of 1,213 Taliban members and officials mapped through the institute’s “Taliban Leadership Tracker.” It identifies approximately 55 individuals — drawn from the Taliban’s broader rank-and-file as well as mid- and senior-level leadership — with links to Al Qaeda.
More broadly, the study finds that references to militancy, including explosives, suicide bombings and affiliations with armed groups, appear in more than 20 percent of the profiles reviewed.
Despite those findings, only 67 individuals, or about 5.7 percent of those mapped, are currently under international sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the United States, Britain, France and the European Union. The report notes that those designated for terrorism-related activities may face INTERPOL special notices and arrest by member countries.
At the same time, most members of the Taliban cabinet are under sanctions, a contrast the institute says reflects the Taliban’s continued political isolation even as many figures within its broader structure remain undesignated.
The analysis also highlights the Taliban’s internal composition, describing a leadership that is heavily concentrated among ethnic Pashtuns, who account for over 90 percent of mid- and senior-level ranks. Tajiks represent about 5.3 percent, while Uzbeks make up roughly 3 percent.
Tribal affiliations play a significant role in shaping influence. In southern and northern Afghanistan, leadership is dominated by tribes such as Noorzai, Ishaqzai, Barakzai and Andar. In eastern and central regions, tribes including Zadran, Ahmadzai (or Kochi), Pashai, Khogyani and Solaimankhel hold greater sway.
Nearly 80 percent of Taliban officials in mid- and senior-level roles have a military background, reinforcing what the report describes as a governance structure rooted in security institutions. A younger cohort — typically between the ages of 24 and 38 — makes up a large share of leadership positions. While some are described as relatively pragmatic, the report says they remain committed to the Taliban’s ideological framework.
Leadership roles are concentrated primarily in local security and provincial administration, with sectors such as human rights receiving minimal representation — a distribution the report says reflects the priorities of the current governing structure.
The report also identifies about 30 individuals who are not Taliban members but are serving in or affiliated with the administration, highlighting what it describes as the insular nature of governance under Taliban rule.
A separate analysis by the George W. Bush Institute found that 135 senior Taliban leaders and five affiliated entities are listed under United Nations Security Council sanctions. The institute raised concerns about continued exemptions granted to some individuals.
Taken together, the findings suggest that several years after returning to power, the Taliban maintain links to militant networks while operating a leadership structure that is heavily military, ethnically concentrated and narrowly distributed, factors that continue to complicate engagement with the international community.
Taliban have not publicly responded to the report.
