Amid the loud clashes between Iran and the United States, developments in Afghanistan are unfolding quietly; changes that might reveal far-reaching effects beyond what is currently imagined. <\/p>\n
The cousin of Mullah Haibatullah, the Taliban leader, who also holds American citizenship, has recently returned to Afghanistan. Some informed sources believe that he has not come solely for family visits or personal residence but carries a mission beyond that; a mission which, according to some observers, bears resemblance to the role Zalmay Khalilzad played at various points in contemporary Afghan history \u2013 acting as an intermediary and facilitator between the Taliban and the United States.<\/p>\n
If this assessment is accurate, the presence of such an individual could provide a reliable channel to secure part of US interests in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and simultaneously offer the Taliban leader the necessary assurance for any potential understanding with Washington.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the extended stay of Amir Khan Muttaqi in Doha has raised many questions. He had traveled to Doha to attend a ceremony in honor of Qatar\u2019s former emir and remained there for over two weeks. Although the official reason for his stay was to continue medical treatment, some sources allege that confidential talks with the American side took place during this period; a claim yet to be officially confirmed.<\/p>\n
Given the evolving regional conditions, escalating tensions between Iran and the US, and Washington\u2019s possible need to redefine its military posture, it cannot be dismissed that talks about limited reuse of some Afghan airbases under agreement might be a key topic in these discussions.<\/p>\n
The US continues to have strategic needs for Afghanistan\u2019s military infrastructure, and if Mullah Haibatullah can secure significant concessions through such an agreement, it is plausible that, similar to the Doha Agreement, political and religious justifications could be found within the Taliban ranks to accept it.<\/p>\n
In such a scenario, the role of Mullah Haibatullah\u2019s American-citizen cousin, who apparently can communicate with both sides, could be highly influential.<\/p>\n
From another perspective, entrusting this role to a new figure also reinforces the notion that the US is not relying solely on its old players to manage Afghanistan\u2019s developments.<\/p>\n
For years, intelligence and security circles have referred to a \u201cMerge Project\u201d scenario \u2013 a plan aimed at gradually integrating technocratic forces and Western-trusted elements into the Taliban\u2019s governing structure without eliminating the group\u2019s traditional core.<\/p>\n
According to this analysis, the Taliban are not expected to be sidelined by the US but rather, over time, the governance structure will gain a new face through the introduction of new forces that appear more cooperative and palatable to the West.<\/p>\n
If this analysis is taken as a basis, the return of Mullah Haibatullah\u2019s American cousin could signal the project entering a new phase; a phase led not by familiar, outdated figures but by a new, low-profile generation trusted by both sides.<\/p>\n
Alongside these signs, reports have emerged of the gradual reconstruction of units 01 and 02 \u2013 special units that, during the republican era, operated directly with US support and supervision. According to these reports, parts of these forces and mechanisms are now being reorganized under Taliban rule.<\/p>\n
If these reports are accurate, this could point to a new model of security cooperation between the Taliban and the US, one unlike the past, not involving direct American military presence but relying on local structures and incurring less political cost.<\/p>\n
Putting these signs together, Afghanistan may be on the brink of a new phase in Taliban-US relations; a phase where the goal is no longer withdrawal from Afghanistan but managing the country through indirect cooperation, local structures, and new actors. The accuracy of this hypothesis will depend on developments in the coming months.<\/p>\n
By Seyed Ahmad Mousavi Malbah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As US-Taliban relations quietly evolve, Afghanistan may enter a new phase of indirect cooperation amid rising Iran-US tensions and regional shifts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,10,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-important-news","category-opinion","category-top-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlaspress.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}