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"files/2020-06-25_R45122_db0ad5c7f2465e05aff2ef8b877e3544ac7d50b5.html" } ], "date": "2020-06-25", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R45122", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 623406, "date": "2020-05-01", "retrieved": "2020-05-01T22:22:38.774326", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy: In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan was elevated as a significant U.S. foreign policy concern in 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 18 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 military fatalities in Afghanistan (including four in combat in 2020 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $137 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and most measures of human development have improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nAs of May 2020, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appears closer to an end, in light of the February 29, 2020, signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement on the issues of counterterrorism and the withdrawal of U.S. and international troops, but questions remain. As part of the agreement, the United States has committed to withdraw all of its forces within 14 months, a process that is already underway. In return, the Taliban have committed to not allow other groups, including Al Qaeda, to use Afghan soil to threaten the United States or its allies, including by preventing recruiting, training, and fundraising for such activities. The agreement is accompanied by secret annexes, raising concerns among some Members of Congress. U.S. officials describe the prospective U.S. withdrawal as \u201cconditions-based,\u201d but have not specified exactly what conditions would halt, reverse, or otherwise alter the withdrawal timeline laid out in the agreement. \nAfghan government representatives were not participants in U.S.-Taliban talks, leading some observers to interpret that the United States would prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. The U.S.-Taliban agreement envisioned intra-Afghan talks beginning on March 10, 2020, but talks remain unscheduled amid a number of obstacles, including:\nHeightened Taliban violence. While the Taliban have refrained from attacks on U.S. personnel since February 29, they have escalated their attacks on Afghan forces.\nDisputes over an ongoing prisoner exchange. As of late April, each side has released dozens of prisoners, though not at levels envisioned by the U.S.-Taliban agreement. \nPolitical crisis in Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani was declared the winner of the September 2019 presidential election on February 18, 2020, but his chief rival (and former partner in a unity government) Abdullah Abdullah rejects the result as fraudulent and has sought to establish himself at the head of an alternate government. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after an attempt to mediate the dispute in March 2020, announced the \u201cimmediate\u201d suspension of $1 billion in U.S. assistance to the Afghan government due to the continued impasse. \nCOVID-19, which further complicates many of the dynamics above. Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, may be at particular risk due to a public health system and infrastructure undermined by decades of war and poor governance. \nObservers speculate about what kind of political arrangement, if any, could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle. In any event, it remains unclear to what extent the U.S. withdrawal is contingent upon the Taliban holding talks with Kabul or the outcome of such talks. For now, the Taliban have maintained their refusal to engage with the Afghan government\u2019s negotiating team. \nA full-scale U.S. withdrawal and/or aid cutoff could lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though many once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced. For additional information on Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, see CRS Report R45818, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy, by Clayton Thomas. For background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Issues for Congress and Legislation 2017-2019, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "fc020911bca2ad41be3f3cb7727519c49d51f2ea", "filename": "files/20200501_R45122_fc020911bca2ad41be3f3cb7727519c49d51f2ea.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200501_R45122_images_f15853db497e84fc85c3312ae65308fd8e79a5f7.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200501_R45122_images_5ef6a74fde8dc026a5a51b8b83731a46c0bd413b.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "4a5983c32cc715299bbb495ae572381fc8a2a7e4", "filename": "files/20200501_R45122_4a5983c32cc715299bbb495ae572381fc8a2a7e4.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 619438, "date": "2020-03-11", "retrieved": "2020-03-11T22:20:32.690941", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan was elevated as a significant U.S. foreign policy concern in 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 18 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 military fatalities in Afghanistan (including four in combat in 2020 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $137 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and most measures of human development have improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed in light of a robust Taliban insurgency and continued terrorist activity. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nAs of March 2020, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appears closer to an end, in light of the February 29, 2020, signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of U.S. and international troops. The formal agreement came after a weeklong reduction in violence designed to test the Taliban\u2019s ability and will to enforce a ceasefire, which largely held. As part of the agreement, the United States has committed to withdraw all of its forces within 14 months, a process that is already underway. In return, the Taliban have committed to not allow members or other groups, including Al Qaeda, to use Afghan soil to threaten the United States or its allies, including by preventing recruiting, training, and fundraising for such activities. The agreement is accompanied by secret annexes, raising concerns among some Members of Congress. U.S. officials describe the prospective U.S. withdrawal as \u201cconditions-based,\u201d but have not specified exactly what conditions would halt, reverse, or otherwise alter the timeline laid out in the agreement. \nThe U.S.-Taliban agreement envisioned intra-Afghan talks beginning on March 10, 2020, but talks are not yet scheduled amid disputes over a potential prisoner exchange and continued Taliban violence. Further complicating the situation is the unsettled state of Afghan politics: President Ashraf Ghani was declared the winner of the September 2019 presidential election on February 18, 2020, but his chief rival (and former partner in a unity government) Abdullah Abdullah rejects the result as fraudulent and has sought to establish himself at the head of an alternate government. In any event, Afghan government representatives were not participants in U.S.-Taliban talks, leading some observers to interpret that the United States would prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. Observers speculate about what kind of political arrangement, if any, could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nMany observers anticipate that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal and/or aid cutoff would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control, a scenario President Trump said \u201cpossibly will\u201d happen. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though some once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced (including district-level territorial and population control assessments). \nFor additional information on Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, see CRS Report R45818, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy, by Clayton Thomas. For background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Issues for Congress and Legislation 2017-2019, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "0a4084cefbd857773b04a41ecbfa9a8b4332ec4d", "filename": "files/20200311_R45122_0a4084cefbd857773b04a41ecbfa9a8b4332ec4d.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200311_R45122_images_06f7befab052ea44cac7b62ddc6422f48c7cb379.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200311_R45122_images_860fe750c4af4e7d1d6c4085aa81b645a9d20ddd.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "aa2ab76ff7631c6634e746d742b8822c6d4f32f6", "filename": "files/20200311_R45122_aa2ab76ff7631c6634e746d742b8822c6d4f32f6.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 615558, "date": "2020-01-31", "retrieved": "2020-02-01T23:05:58.432571", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan was elevated as a significant U.S. foreign policy concern in 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 18 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 military fatalities in Afghanistan (including two in combat in 2020 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $137 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and most measures of human development have improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed in light of a robust Taliban insurgency and continued terrorist activity. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nUntil September 2019, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appeared closer to an end than perhaps ever before, as U.S. officials negotiated directly with Taliban interlocutors on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of some 14,000 U.S. troops. However, on September 7, 2019, President Trump announced that those talks, led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, had been called off. In November 2019, President Trump made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he apparently confirmed reports that unofficial talks had been restarted and claimed that the Taliban \u201cwant to do a ceasefire,\u201d prompting expressions of confusion by some Afghan government officials and denials from Taliban spokesmen. In early December 2019, the State Department announced that Khalilzad would rejoin talks with the Taliban in Doha, though analysts debate whether the President\u2019s focus on a ceasefire represents a real change in the U.S. negotiating position. Talks were paused again in December 2019 after another Taliban attack. As of January 2020, those talks are ongoing, though U.S. and Taliban officials have described the subjects and status of those talks differently. Afghan government representatives have not been participants in U.S.-Taliban talks, leading some observers to worry that the United States would prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. Observers speculate about what kind of political arrangement, if any, could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nAt the same time, President Trump has expressed his intention to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan stated in October 2019 that the United States has gradually been reducing the number of U.S. troops in the country in 2019, and the Pentagon has reportedly drawn up contingency plans to execute a withdrawal of all U.S. forces in the event President Trump makes such an order. Many observers assess that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though some once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced (including district-level territorial and population control assessments). Underlying the present negotiations is the unsettled state of Afghan politics, which is a major complicating factor. Preliminary results from the presidential election, which took place on September 28, 2019, were released in December 2019 and indicate a narrow victory for incumbent President Ashraf Ghani, but an ongoing recount, accompanied by allegations of fraud and multiple candidates\u2019 claims of victory, could presage contention and instability.\nFor additional information on Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, see CRS Report R45818, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy, by Clayton Thomas. For background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Issues for Congress and Legislation 2017-2019, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "97dffaeb10a26c258167bd58130a3899aff4504a", "filename": "files/20200131_R45122_97dffaeb10a26c258167bd58130a3899aff4504a.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200131_R45122_images_06f7befab052ea44cac7b62ddc6422f48c7cb379.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200131_R45122_images_860fe750c4af4e7d1d6c4085aa81b645a9d20ddd.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "dfa4cd18f3ca7422ef5a828846c1183a248eb26f", "filename": "files/20200131_R45122_dfa4cd18f3ca7422ef5a828846c1183a248eb26f.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 610129, "date": "2019-12-05", "retrieved": "2019-12-13T15:05:12.457999", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan was elevated as a significant U.S. foreign policy concern in 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 18 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 military fatalities in Afghanistan (including 17 in combat in 2019 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $133 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and most measures of human development have improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed in light of a robust Taliban insurgency and continued terrorist activity. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nUntil September 2019, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appeared closer to an end than perhaps ever before, as U.S. officials negotiated directly with Taliban interlocutors on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of some 14,000 U.S. troops. However, on September 7, 2019, President Trump announced that those talks, led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, had been called off. On November 28, 2019, President Trump made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he apparently confirmed reports that unofficial talks had been restarted and claimed that the Taliban \u201cwant to do a ceasefire,\u201d prompting expressions of confusion by some Afghan government officials and denials from Taliban spokesmen. In early December 2019, the State Department announced that Khalilzad would rejoin talks with the Taliban in Doha, though analysts debate whether the President\u2019s focus on a ceasefire represents a real change in the U.S. negotiating position. Afghan government representatives have not been directly involved in U.S.-Taliban talks, leading some to worry that the United States would prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. Observers speculate about what kind of political arrangement, if any, could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nAt the same time, President Trump has expressed his intention to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan stated in October 2019 that the United States has gradually been reducing the number of U.S. troops in the country in 2019 and the Pentagon has reportedly drawn up contingency plans to execute a withdrawal of all U.S. forces in the event President Trump makes such an order. Many observers assess that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though some once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced (including district-level territorial and population control assessments). Underlying the negotiations is the unsettled state of Afghan politics, which is a major complicating factor: preliminary results from the presidential election, which took place on September 28, 2019, have still not yet been released, and low turnout, allegations of fraud, and multiple candidates\u2019 claims of victory could presage contention and instability.\nFor additional information on Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, see CRS Report R45818, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy, by Clayton Thomas. For background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Issues for Congress and Legislation 2017-2019, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "d29c267f00783e2b765208d2e706a06d2bb7ca28", "filename": "files/20191205_R45122_d29c267f00783e2b765208d2e706a06d2bb7ca28.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20191205_R45122_images_4880d517d2748a1ba6d3ed02d164b6ae0b3b30c5.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20191205_R45122_images_14f5673afdb7b46008b0cd1123f065c366ce104c.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "304e614457ef38889e12ca6ce2813aac03bce778", "filename": "files/20191205_R45122_304e614457ef38889e12ca6ce2813aac03bce778.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 607136, "date": "2019-11-01", "retrieved": "2019-11-05T23:13:51.937696", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan was elevated as a significant U.S. foreign policy concern in 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 18 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 military fatalities in Afghanistan (including 17 in combat in 2019 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $133 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and most measures of human development have improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nUntil September 2019, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appeared closer to an end than perhaps ever before, as U.S. officials negotiated directly with Taliban interlocutors on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of some 14,000 U.S. troops. However, on September 7, 2019, President Trump announced that those talks, led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, had been called off. Despite the Taliban\u2019s stated willingness to reengage and some reports of informal U.S.-Taliban meetings, the pause on official U.S.-Taliban talks evidently remains and it is unclear under what circumstances the United States might announce their resumption. Afghan government representatives were not directly involved in those talks, leading some to worry that the United States would prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. Observers speculate about what kind of political arrangement, if any, could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nPresident Trump has expressed his intention to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan stated in October 2019 that the United States has gradually been reducing the number of U.S. troops in the country in 2019 and the Pentagon has reportedly drawn up contingency plans to execute a withdrawal of all U.S. forces in the event President Trump makes such an order. Many observers assess that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though at least some once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced (including district-level territorial and population control assessments). Underlying the negotiations is the unsettled state of Afghan politics, which is a major complicating factor: while preliminary results from the all-important presidential election, which took place on September 28, 2019, are not expected until mid-November, low turnout, allegations of fraud, and multiple candidates\u2019 claims of victory could presage contention and instability.\nFor additional information on Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, see CRS Report R45818, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy, by Clayton Thomas. For background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Issues for Congress and Legislation 2017-2019, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "ad5c9432f3127167017f88ed69219f6d6b1d0935", "filename": "files/20191101_R45122_ad5c9432f3127167017f88ed69219f6d6b1d0935.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20191101_R45122_images_2b08fbea9fa3d22dd1cfdbfd14ae133a7a101338.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20191101_R45122_images_14f5673afdb7b46008b0cd1123f065c366ce104c.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "80cd0893073dcd4ffe2b0f8f29a466836097db63", "filename": "files/20191101_R45122_80cd0893073dcd4ffe2b0f8f29a466836097db63.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 605244, "date": "2019-09-19", "retrieved": "2019-09-19T22:16:33.803347", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan was elevated as a significant U.S. foreign policy concern in 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 18 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 military fatalities in Afghanistan (including seventeen in combat in 2019 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $133 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and most measures of human development have improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nUntil September 2019, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appeared closer to an end than perhaps ever before, as U.S. officials negotiated directly with Taliban interlocutors on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of some 14,000 U.S. troops. However, on September 7, 2019, President Trump announced that those talks, led by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, had been called off. It remains unclear under what conditions negotiations might be restarted. Afghan government representatives were not directly involved in those talks, leading some to worry that the United States would prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. Observers speculate about what kind of political arrangement, if any, could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nPresident Trump has expressed his intention to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, though U.S. officials maintain that no policy decision has been made to reduce U.S. force levels. Many observers assess that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though at least some once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced (including district-level territorial and population control assessments). Underlying the negotiations is the unsettled state of Afghan politics, which is a major complicating factor: the all-important presidential election, originally slated for April 2019, has been postponed twice and is now scheduled for September 2019.\nFor additional information on Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, see CRS Report R45818, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy, by Clayton Thomas. For background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Issues for Congress and Legislation 2017-2019, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "b292186ac175e6db640c575b34fb431664157f32", "filename": "files/20190919_R45122_b292186ac175e6db640c575b34fb431664157f32.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190919_R45122_images_ca3fdb6b3b96fa005e796b507105bb364d35515b.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190919_R45122_images_0d67db796a4ba56b4645f516b4de5490e4ae65d8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "17a81769241381ee131bd991402db15a1e111554", "filename": "files/20190919_R45122_17a81769241381ee131bd991402db15a1e111554.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 603188, "date": "2019-08-01", "retrieved": "2019-08-12T22:11:02.844377", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a significant U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 17 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 military fatalities in Afghanistan (including twelve in 2019 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $133 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and most measures of human development have improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nIn mid-2019, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appears closer to ending than perhaps ever before as U.S. officials negotiate directly with Taliban interlocutors on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of U.S. troops. U.S. negotiators report progress, but Afghan government representatives have not been directly involved. Lead U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad insists that the United States seeks a comprehensive peace agreement but some worry that the United States will prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. It remains unclear what kind of political arrangement could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nPresident Trump has expressed his intention to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, though U.S. officials maintain that no policy decision has been made to reduce U.S. force levels. Many observers assess that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though at least some once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced (including district-level territorial and population control assessments, as of the April 30, 2019, quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction). Underlying the negotiations is the unsettled state of Afghan politics, which is a major complicating factor: the all-important presidential election, originally slated for April 2019, has been postponed twice and is now scheduled for September 2019.\nFor additional information on Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, see CRS Report R45818, Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy, by Clayton Thomas. For background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Legislation in the 115th Congress, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "c10894b4e7f120db51682d523898415b08bc43d3", "filename": "files/20190801_R45122_c10894b4e7f120db51682d523898415b08bc43d3.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190801_R45122_images_ca3fdb6b3b96fa005e796b507105bb364d35515b.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190801_R45122_images_0d67db796a4ba56b4645f516b4de5490e4ae65d8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "a61cde676f8627affbc950dbf213fefc2748a4a4", "filename": "files/20190801_R45122_a61cde676f8627affbc950dbf213fefc2748a4a4.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 597827, "date": "2019-05-01", "retrieved": "2019-05-03T22:18:55.879073", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 17 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 fatalities in Afghanistan (including seven in 2019 to date) and Congress has appropriated approximately $133 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nIn early 2019, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appears closer to ending than perhaps ever before as U.S. officials negotiate directly with Taliban interlocutors on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of U.S. troops. However, U.S. negotiators caution that talks are still at a preliminary stage, and Afghan government representatives have not been directly involved. Lead U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad insists that the United States seeks a comprehensive peace agreement but some worry that the United States will prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. It remains unclear what kind of political arrangement could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nPress reports in December 2018 and early 2019 indicate that the Trump Administration may be considering withdrawing some U.S. forces, though U.S. officials maintain that no policy decision has been made to reduce U.S. force levels. Many observers assess that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control. By many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001, though at least some once-public metrics related to the conduct of the war have been classified or are no longer produced (including district-level territorial and population control assessments, as of the April 30, 2019, quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction). Underlying the negotiations is the unsettled state of Afghan politics, which is a major complicating factor: Afghanistan held inconclusive parliamentary elections in October 2018 and the all-important presidential election, originally slated for April 2019, has been postponed twice and is now scheduled for September 2019.\nFor background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Legislation in the 115th Congress, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "b626b77988dfc394f9402fcfb5bcb2dc569bda4c", "filename": "files/20190501_R45122_b626b77988dfc394f9402fcfb5bcb2dc569bda4c.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190501_R45122_images_ca3fdb6b3b96fa005e796b507105bb364d35515b.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190501_R45122_images_0d67db796a4ba56b4645f516b4de5490e4ae65d8.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "8dd78b3efd06e20151ecec6d9f8a9267f64a7825", "filename": "files/20190501_R45122_8dd78b3efd06e20151ecec6d9f8a9267f64a7825.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 592406, "date": "2019-02-26", "retrieved": "2019-04-17T14:12:46.033180", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 17 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 fatalities in Afghanistan (including 2 in 2019 to date) and Congress has appropriated more than $132 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nIn early 2019, U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan appears closer to ending than perhaps ever before as U.S. officials negotiate directly with Taliban interlocutors on the issues of counterterrorism and the presence of U.S. troops. However, U.S. negotiators caution that talks are still at a preliminary stage, and Afghan government representatives have not been directly involved. Lead U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad insists that the U.S. seeks a comprehensive peace agreement but some worry that the U.S. will prioritize a military withdrawal over a complex political settlement that preserves some of the social, political, and humanitarian gains made since 2001. It remains unclear what kind of political arrangement could satisfy both Kabul and the Taliban to the extent that the latter fully abandons armed struggle.\nPress reports in December 2018 and early 2019 indicate that the Trump Administration may be considering withdrawing some U.S. forces, though U.S. officials maintain that no policy decision has been made to reduce U.S. force levels. Many observers assess that a full-scale U.S. withdrawal would lead to the collapse of the Afghan government and perhaps even the reestablishment of Taliban control over the entire country; by many measures, the Taliban are in a stronger military position now than at any point since 2001. Underlying the negotiations is the unsettled state of Afghan politics, which is a major complicating factor: Afghanistan held inconclusive parliamentary elections in October 2018 and the all-important presidential election, originally scheduled for April 2019, has been postponed until July 2019.\nFor background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Legislation in the 115th Congress, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "5e1eb2a900a57235fa73f056556478b7531314f7", "filename": "files/20190226_R45122_5e1eb2a900a57235fa73f056556478b7531314f7.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190226_R45122_images_6a34c746206285fce7971f8ccf60ce2f67b57f9e.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190226_R45122_images_dc69198257a4527c0f31b7671889dc176fa1d26f.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "031e54d7678a752081c11d4e021ff745a3bb831f", "filename": "files/20190226_R45122_031e54d7678a752081c11d4e021ff745a3bb831f.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 589881, "date": "2019-01-16", "retrieved": "2019-01-16T23:10:02.509057", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 17 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 fatalities in Afghanistan (including 13 in 2018 to date) and Congress has appropriated more than $132 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nWhile U.S. military officials express greater optimism about the course of the war in 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency\u2014which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates\u2014as a stalemate or worse. Furthermore, the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. Afghanistan held parliamentary elections in October 2018, but they were marred by technical, logistical, and security problems. A planned presidential election, now scheduled for July 2019, could further inflame political tensions. Meanwhile, a series of developments since July 2018 may signal greater U.S. urgency to begin peace talks to bring about a negotiated political settlement, the stated goal of U.S. policy, via direct talks with the Taliban. \nFor background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Legislation in the 115th Congress, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "b891ce4095f1e46bc13b657a9495184bf6075e54", "filename": "files/20190116_R45122_b891ce4095f1e46bc13b657a9495184bf6075e54.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190116_R45122_images_60cb4a06242ed9a196a1ff72f54827075bb83eee.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190116_R45122_images_6e3e5305b3d886a8ee2885aeeb6267813d55bc99.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "512737ac86515fa1a65bdb2443a276d858d01a83", "filename": "files/20190116_R45122_512737ac86515fa1a65bdb2443a276d858d01a83.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 588771, "date": "2018-12-12", "retrieved": "2018-12-19T14:02:11.371989", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported it. In the intervening 17 years, the United States has suffered around 2,400 fatalities in Afghanistan (including 13 in 2018 to date) and Congress has appropriated more than $132 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. The fundamental objective of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan is \u201cpreventing any further attacks on the United States by terrorists enjoying safe haven or support in Afghanistan.\u201d\nWhile U.S. military officials express greater optimism about the course of the war in 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency\u2014which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates\u2014as a stalemate or worse. Furthermore, the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. Afghanistan held parliamentary elections in October 2018, but they were marred by technical, logistical, and security problems. A planned presidential election, scheduled for April 2019, could further inflame political tensions. Meanwhile, a series of developments in 2018 may signal greater U.S. urgency to begin peace talks to bring about a negotiated political settlement, the stated goal of U.S. policy, via direct talks with the Taliban. \nFor background information and analysis on the history of congressional engagement with Afghanistan and U.S. policy there, as well as a summary of recent Afghanistan-related legislative proposals, see CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Legislation in the 115th Congress, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "4ff4f7efea0743ac19610629fdd761caf2431021", "filename": "files/20181212_R45122_4ff4f7efea0743ac19610629fdd761caf2431021.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20181212_R45122_images_60cb4a06242ed9a196a1ff72f54827075bb83eee.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20181212_R45122_images_886d5435fd6035cc9d4ab3503d17d468a96f8615.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "460cd440cd923e02bdd83fbc88cd4bd417f61e73", "filename": "files/20181212_R45122_460cd440cd923e02bdd83fbc88cd4bd417f61e73.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 587173, "date": "2018-11-01", "retrieved": "2018-11-02T13:13:17.758024", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy: In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 6 in 2018 thus far) and has spent more than $132 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. \nWhile military officials profess greater optimism about the course of the war in 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a stalemate. Furthermore, the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. Parliamentary elections were held in October 2018 but were marred by technical, logistical, and security problems; the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for April 2019 could further inflame political tensions. Meanwhile, a series of developments in 2018 may signal greater U.S. urgency to begin peace talks to bring about a negotiated political settlement, the stated goal of U.S. policy. \nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas and CRS Report R45329, Afghanistan: Legislation in the 115th Congress, by Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "4f4cab412d593864e58f6f9385b7e57705ff4050", "filename": "files/20181101_R45122_4f4cab412d593864e58f6f9385b7e57705ff4050.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20181101_R45122_images_886d5435fd6035cc9d4ab3503d17d468a96f8615.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "6166e5da562505fbbede3d21f014e316faec663f", "filename": "files/20181101_R45122_6166e5da562505fbbede3d21f014e316faec663f.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 585339, "date": "2018-09-17", "retrieved": "2018-09-20T14:22:25.289648", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 6 in 2018 thus far) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. \nWhile military officials profess greater optimism about the course of the war in 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a stalemate. Furthermore, the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. Contentious parliamentary and presidential elections, scheduled for October 2018 and April 2019, respectively, may further inflame political tensions. Meanwhile, a series of developments in 2018 may signal greater U.S. urgency to begin peace talks to bring about a negotiated political settlement, the stated goal of U.S. policy. \nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "1805a113b8809fbbfb2d8eae2681331e130488a5", "filename": "files/20180917_R45122_1805a113b8809fbbfb2d8eae2681331e130488a5.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180917_R45122_images_5cef9100c2ac9b8faa03874f6ea5467a030e16c8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180917_R45122_images_1741f77eb0eaee09a75bf650f17afe7a8a654a9d.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "d57907a0f53d7fed70cbe295cbffcf79ccbda98a", "filename": "files/20180917_R45122_d57907a0f53d7fed70cbe295cbffcf79ccbda98a.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584952, "date": "2018-09-10", "retrieved": "2018-09-12T22:18:36.412515", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 6 in 2018 thus far) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. \nWhile military officials profess greater optimism about the course of the war in early 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a stalemate. Furthermore, the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. Contentious parliamentary and presidential elections, scheduled for October 2018 and April 2019, respectively, may further inflame political Meanwhile, a series of developments in 2018 may signal greater U.S. urgency to begin peace talks to bring about a negotiated political settlement, the stated goal of U.S. policy. \nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "88ee2b3c0ab67be8bddfaf723bf58fa444e85a45", "filename": "files/20180910_R45122_88ee2b3c0ab67be8bddfaf723bf58fa444e85a45.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180910_R45122_images_5cef9100c2ac9b8faa03874f6ea5467a030e16c8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180910_R45122_images_1741f77eb0eaee09a75bf650f17afe7a8a654a9d.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "600bcdce8bd742ac4d1f198bdb142de22054040e", "filename": "files/20180910_R45122_600bcdce8bd742ac4d1f198bdb142de22054040e.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584230, "date": "2018-08-03", "retrieved": "2018-08-29T15:04:33.877945", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 4 in 2018) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. \nWhile military officials profess greater optimism about the course of the war in early 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a stalemate, and the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. The total number of U.S. troops in the country is reported as around 15,000. Meanwhile, a series of developments in mid-2018 may signal greater momentum toward peace talks and an eventual negotiated settlement, the stated goal of U.S. policy. \nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "4ad599d48fcdc694026b13d9079ed0da896ccbde", "filename": "files/20180803_R45122_4ad599d48fcdc694026b13d9079ed0da896ccbde.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180803_R45122_images_5cef9100c2ac9b8faa03874f6ea5467a030e16c8.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180803_R45122_images_1741f77eb0eaee09a75bf650f17afe7a8a654a9d.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "7372b3f0ac5fd4144e140a7df57418d96c7f199c", "filename": "files/20180803_R45122_7372b3f0ac5fd4144e140a7df57418d96c7f199c.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 581608, "date": "2018-06-01", "retrieved": "2018-06-12T14:11:06.962323", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 14 in 2017) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed.\nWhile military officials profess greater optimism about the course of the war in early 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a stalemate, and the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. The total number of U.S. troops in the country is reported as around 15,000, with the deployment of another 1,000 troops reportedly under consideration.\nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "fde506c921ec469d74aabd6588b1d953589b450d", "filename": "files/20180601_R45122_fde506c921ec469d74aabd6588b1d953589b450d.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180601_R45122_images_90a0fb0478603dde85844a6ec7c30823e6ca3dda.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180601_R45122_images_2f607c339f387bbd83bfdfd26f5c94dbf03bb2ea.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "4e16f066d340a9ffde5b01c9ea26cbea32dbc70e", "filename": "files/20180601_R45122_4e16f066d340a9ffde5b01c9ea26cbea32dbc70e.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 580737, "date": "2018-05-01", "retrieved": "2018-05-10T10:12:18.597315", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 14 in 2017) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed.\nWhile military officials profess greater optimism about the course of the war in early 2018, other policymakers and analysts have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a stalemate, and the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. The total number of U.S. troops in the country is reported as around 15,000, with the deployment of another 1,000 troops reportedly under consideration.\nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "f71d71767e2616eadb878316d8624eb5837e9e77", "filename": "files/20180501_R45122_f71d71767e2616eadb878316d8624eb5837e9e77.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180501_R45122_images_500da1b078a4326ad728c3049c65237839afcad2.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180501_R45122_images_2f607c339f387bbd83bfdfd26f5c94dbf03bb2ea.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "aa2ec56eb7b9eea1d00276f5c3d05d3bd4c5bd5c", "filename": "files/20180501_R45122_aa2ec56eb7b9eea1d00276f5c3d05d3bd4c5bd5c.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 579832, "date": "2018-04-03", "retrieved": "2018-04-05T13:11:39.529593", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 14 in 2017) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed.\nU.S. policymakers have described the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a \u201cstalemate,\u201d and the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. The total number of U.S. troops in the country is reported as around 15,000, with the deployment of another 1,000 troops reportedly under consideration.\nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "23fd8dfd5deface9819f34ad944edc5b7136a6d8", "filename": "files/20180403_R45122_23fd8dfd5deface9819f34ad944edc5b7136a6d8.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180403_R45122_images_dfe91d351b8f8e10be0cc502d700278f414da5ae.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180403_R45122_images_e221bc15d3be98aeeef9bbb7d854997c33cd08f5.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "adee19f469d5868be265bf2d4972fadee4c5f011", "filename": "files/20180403_R45122_adee19f469d5868be265bf2d4972fadee4c5f011.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 578883, "date": "2018-03-05", "retrieved": "2018-03-09T00:03:17.155432", "title": "Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief", "summary": "Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 14 in 2017) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed.\nU.S. policymakers routinely describe the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country\u2019s territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a \u201cstalemate\u201d and the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. The total number of U.S. troops in the country is reported as around 15,000, with the deployment of another 1,000 troops reportedly under consideration.\nThis report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration\u2019s new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections. For more detailed background information and analysis on Afghan history and politics, as well as U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman and Clayton Thomas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45122", "sha1": "1816f4d4f4a7f69c9847d7cc8b9404b69c17df4c", "filename": "files/20180305_R45122_1816f4d4f4a7f69c9847d7cc8b9404b69c17df4c.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180305_R45122_images_dfe91d351b8f8e10be0cc502d700278f414da5ae.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45122_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180305_R45122_images_e221bc15d3be98aeeef9bbb7d854997c33cd08f5.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45122", "sha1": "f5d2955dbf486ee29423622e5026beec2c3769d9", "filename": "files/20180305_R45122_f5d2955dbf486ee29423622e5026beec2c3769d9.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4818, "name": "Afghanistan & Pakistan" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Foreign Affairs", "Middle Eastern Affairs", "National Defense" ] }