The U.S. and its allies should not recognize or normalize relations with the Taliban Government. The Taliban are an illegitimate government run by a small and insular group of loyalists who rule through terror and fear. They have not changed since the 1990s. Included among their ranks are terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network. They continue to impose a barbaric version of Sharia law, extrajudicial killings and corporal punishment, targeted against perceived political opponents, and religious and ethnic minorities.

The Taliban regime cannot be trusted in any way. Because of their hardline beliefs and their partnership with dangerous terrorist groups, the Taliban pose an imminent threat to the region and the world. The Taliban have never denounced or severed ties with al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Taliban's rise to power has given extremist and fundamentalist groups all over the world a sense of pride and confidence.

The US and its Allies need to get humanitarian relief directly into the hands of ordinary Afghans. The Taliban takeover triggered a humanitarian catastrophe that the Taliban are not able or willing to properly deal with. More than half of the population faces food insecurity, the healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, and millions of internally displaced persons cannot return home. Without outside assistance, more Afghans will suffer and die.

Under the Taliban, Afghan women and girls face blatant gender apartheid and a return to the 1990s. The Taliban have stripped most women of the ability to work, girls cannot attend secondary schools, young women who grew up in a free and open society are now living in fear and pain. The freedom and rights of women in Afghanistan are not just essential because of their talent and strength, but because women and girls deserve to live without restriction and fear.

The Taliban do not respect the basic rights of all Afghans. Human rights are at a breaking point in Afghanistan. Under Taliban, ethnic and religious minorities, former government workers, activists, and targeted groups have all been victims of atrocities, including torture, public executions, assassinations, mass killings, and forced displacements. In order for there to be peace and prosperity, all citizen’s fundamental rights must be respected and protected through a pluralistic and representative system.

In the 1960’s Afghanistan was one of the first Muslim countries to introduce a constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary elections, and a Prime Minister-led government. Democracy is not a foreign concept in Afghanistan, nor was it forced on the Afghan people by the US and its allies. The Afghan people embraced the gains of the past twenty years, particularly the freedoms provided by the constitution. The U.S. and its allies must support democracy promotion efforts and the return to a pluralistic political system in Afghanistan.