As foreign policy discourse has shifted focus to great power competition and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it is tempting to forget the threat that terrorist organizations pose to the United States. However, the danger posed by those such as the Islamic State group has risen to levels not seen since the peak of their international attacks in the mid-2010s.

After the ascent of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the local chapter of the Islamic State group, known as ISIS-K, has faced setbacks in its attempts to found a territorial state in the country’s eastern regions. Taliban counterinsurgency operations and crackdowns on ISIS-K international financing have led to a decline in ISIS-K’s local power. Many Salafi leaders in Afghanistan, the traditional base of support for ISIS-K, have instead sought a détente with the Taliban emirate.