GFA Statement: August 15th 2025

The Fall of Afghanistan and Its Enduring Consequences

On August 15, 2021, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, al-Qaeda, the Haqqani Network, and their Pakistani enablers in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In a matter of days, twenty years of hard-fought gains—achieved through the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of a generation of American, NATO, and Afghan soldiers—were erased by the very organizations responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001.

The consequences of this collapse have been profound and enduring.

American and Afghan combat veterans continue to suffer from the moral injuries inflicted by the images of chaos and abandonment at Kabul International Airport. These memories fuel a persistently high veteran suicide rate and a growing crisis of meaning, especially among Gold Star families who now grapple with the question: was it worth it?

Four years later, the U.S. government has failed to hold anyone accountable for the disaster, nor has it formally acknowledged that the war was lost. Meanwhile, Congress has refused to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act—a vital measure to protect our Afghan allies—choosing instead to politicize the withdrawal while offering no meaningful solutions.

The true victims of the U.S. withdrawal are the 32 million Afghans now imprisoned under Taliban rule. Despite early claims of moderation, the Taliban has imposed a brutal regime of gender apartheid, banning women and girls from virtually all aspects of public life. The group continues to hunt, imprison, torture, and sexually assault former Afghan allies—many of whom remain trapped behind enemy lines.

The humanitarian situation is dire. Jobs are scarce and often reserved for regime loyalists. Kabul faces a looming water crisis. Food insecurity is rampant. Drug abuse is on the rise—despite Taliban promises to address the issue.

None of this should have come as a surprise. Afghan war veterans, diplomats, and aid workers warned of these outcomes. And despite some political narratives to the contrary, the Taliban is not—and will never be—a legitimate counterterrorism partner. It remains a terrorist organization, still aligned with al-Qaeda.

As the international community turns its back on Afghanistan, the Taliban gains legitimacy with each passing day. Former President Trump’s decision to delist Sirajuddin Haqqani—a wanted terrorist with American and Afghan blood on his hands—and Russia’s recognition of the Taliban regime further tightened its grip on power.

Worse still, President Trump’s rollback of protections for Afghan allies already in the United States adds to the betrayal. These men and women served honorably beside American forces for two decades. Deporting them is tantamount to issuing a death sentence. Denying them immigration pathways is an abandonment of our values and our word.

Yet amid this betrayal and suffering, Global Friends of Afghanistan remains resolute. On this solemn anniversary, we reaffirm our mission to elevate the voices of our Afghan allies and pursue a just peace for Afghanistan—one that honors those who stood with us during our longest war.

Therefore, we call for urgent action:
 

●Congress must immediately halt ICE’s unjust detention of Afghan allies currently living in the United States.
 

●Temporary Protected Status (TPS) must be re-established for Afghans in the U.S., alongside full funding for the State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, to ensure legal pathways remain open for those still trapped inside Afghanistan.
 

●Congress must pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, just as we did for our South Vietnamese allies, providing a pathway to permanent residency for those who served beside us.
 

●The U.S. must lead a renewed international sanctions effort targeting Taliban leaders, Haqqani Network operatives, terrorist financiers, and their political lobbyists. This should include no-fly and visa bans, banking and asset restrictions, and a refusal to recognize Taliban envoys in international forums. These measures will isolate the regime, disrupt its funding, and reaffirm that the Taliban remains an illegitimate terrorist entity.
 

●Finally, the U.S. must support the creation of an inclusive Afghan political coalition—capable of negotiating a future not dictated by the Taliban, but shaped by the will of the Afghan people.

Global Friends of Afghanistan