Afghanistan has been engaged in a civil war since 1979 involving a variety of actors. In 2001 an American-led coalition invaded the country after the Taliban regime failed to hand-over al-Qaeda leaders believed to be hiding in the country. On 1 May 2011 al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, was killed by US Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

A variety of factors are influencing the current state of the conflict.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)

Since 2003 NATO has been leading ISAF, supporting the Afghan government by maintaining security, training and equipping the local security forces, building governance capacity, and supporting humanitarian efforts.

Currently, ISAF troops number approximately 130,000.

Efforts to build up domestic forces have faced numerous challenges including high rates of illiteracy, drug addiction, and attrition.

On 20 November 2010, NATO agreed to hand over control of Afghanistan’s security to domestic forces by the end of 2014.

Militant Groups

The four main anti-government groups active in Afghanistan are the Quetta Shura Taliban, the Haqqani Network, al-Qaeda and Hizb-i-Islami.

Recent expert assessments suggest that al-Qaeda is in survival mode in Afghanistan, with little operational capacity.

Peacebuilding

Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, inaugurated a High Peace Council on 7 October 2010 and sought to explore options for reconciliation. Media claims that government representatives have met with the Taliban were denied, first by the Taliban and later by their leader, Mullah Omar.

Despite a lack of formal progress on broader reconciliation, on a tactical level several groups in Badghis, Faryab, Herat, and Kunduz have stepped forward and offered to disarm and reintegrate. However, questions remain about   whether they were part of the insurgent movement or simply non-combatants seeking to benefit from the incentives provided through the program.

Drugs

Despite eradication efforts and reduced production in 2010, Afghanistan remains the world’s leading producer of opium. With exports halved due to diseased crops, market values have more than doubled in the past year.

Opium is a major source of financing for terrorist groups and Afghan farmers face intimidation by insurgents to grow the crop. Alternative livelihood programs provide support to encourage cultivation of crops such as wheat, saffron, almonds, and pomegranates.

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