The Taliban expressed hope for “a new chapter of relations” with the United States following Donald Trump’s election victory. Taliban foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi stated that they anticipate a “pragmatic approach” from the incoming U.S. administration to foster tangible progress in bilateral relations, paving the way for mutual engagement. Balkhi highlighted the 2020 Doha Agreement, reached during Trump’s first term, which he said ended the “twenty-year occupation” of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. He also encouraged Trump to play a positive role in addressing conflicts across the Middle East.

The Taliban’s swift takeover in August 2021 triggered a chaotic Western withdrawal, marking an abrupt end to the U.S.’s two-decade involvement in Afghanistan. In September 2021, the Taliban established an interim government, including four senior officials who had previously been detained by the U.S. at Guantánamo Bay and were released in a 2014 prisoner exchange.