emirate · Central Asia and the Steppe

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021-present)

2021 CE – present · capital Kabul

The restored Taliban state, which took Kabul in August 2021 and has imposed sweeping restrictions on women while seeking international recognition.

Origins

After a twenty-year insurgency against the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and NATO forces, and the US withdrawal agreed at Doha in 2020, the Taliban seized Kabul on 15 August 2021 and restored the Islamic Emirate. Hibatullah Akhundzada, the movement's leader since 2016, became supreme leader.

Rule and society

The supreme leader rules from Kandahar by decree, with a caretaker cabinet in Kabul and no constitution or elections. The regime has banned girls from secondary and higher education and restricted women's work, travel and public life. Foreign aid cuts and frozen assets caused economic collapse and humanitarian crisis, though security improved in many areas. It faces an insurgency by the Islamic State Khorasan Province.

To the present

The Islamic Emirate remains in power. Russia became the first state to formally recognise it in 2025, while most countries engage with it without recognition.

Lineage

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996-2001) 1996 CE – 2001 CEIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021-present)

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021-present). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-emirate-of-afghanistan-2021-present
MLA
“Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021-present).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-emirate-of-afghanistan-2021-present. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021-present).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-emirate-of-afghanistan-2021-present.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2021-present)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/islamic-emirate-of-afghanistan-2021-present (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻