Presiding over a country ruined by decades of war and treatment as an international pariah, the Afghan Taliban* have shown an increased interest in winning international recognition and investment, in contrast to their rule 20 years ago. However, most nations seem to be taking a “wait and see” approach to their promises.
Pakistan's national security adviser has urged the US not to pull away from Afghanistan diplomatically and economically as its final troops withdraw, saying Western nations have much more weight than Islamabad to ensure that a stable government forms under Taliban rule.
“Now that the Taliban has the whole country, they don't really need Islamabad as much anymore,” Pakistani national security adviser Moeed Yusuf told the Washington Post on Wednesday.
After the US-backed Afghan government quickly collapsed before a Taliban offensive earlier this month, the Islamist militant group gave wide assurances that their new government would not allow terrorist groups to operate in the country and that they would respect the rights of women and minorities, within the scope of their understanding of Sharia, which in the past has been both strict and brutal.
The promises, which could go a long way toward stabilizing the country after more than four decades of war, are highly sought by both the US and Afghanistan's neighbors, which have coordinated among themselves a united front of non-interference, but made clear that recognition, investment and…
