Claim: Trump has agreed to recognise the government of Afghanistan.
Fact: The claim is false. While recent diplomatic engagements have taken place, these do not amount to formal recognition of the Taliban government. There are no credible news reports or official statements from the Trump administration confirming that it has recognised or plans to recognise the Taliban government.
Social media users in Pakistan have widely shared a claim (archive), stating:
“ٹرمپ نے افغانستان کی حکومت کو تسلیم کرنے کی حامی بھر لی اُنیس سال جنگ کے بعد آخر صلح ہی کرنی پڑی”
[Translation: Trump has agreed to recognise the government of Afghanistan. After nineteen years of war, peace had to be made in the end.]
Recent developments in US-Taliban relations
Since the November 2024 US presidential election, several developments have shaped US-Taliban relations. In January 2025, the Taliban released two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, in exchange for Khan Mohammed, an Afghan fighter imprisoned in California on charges of drug trafficking and terrorism. This exchange, brokered by the Biden administration with support from Qatar, was viewed as a potential step toward improved relations between the US and Afghanistan.
In a significant development, US prisoner George Glezmann, who spent two years in detention in Afghanistan, was released on 20 March of this year. Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, also visited Afghanistan. He met with Taliban officials, including Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi, marking the first known engagement between a Trump administration official and Afghanistan’s interim government since Trump assumed office.
The US also lifted bounties on senior Taliban figures, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s Interior Minister and leader of the Haqqani network. This action was perceived as an effort to normalise bilateral relations.
The claim we are fact-checking has surfaced in light of these developments.
Despite these events, the Taliban’s rule, especially its policies affecting women and girls, remains a contentious issue globally, affecting their international legitimacy. Since assuming office, neither Trump nor his officials have issued any formal statements clarifying their stance on the Taliban.
The recent developments highlight that both the US and the Taliban have sought diplomatic engagement despite the complex relationship between the two countries. While the Trump administration has quietly increased contact, it has avoided formal recognition. This evolving engagement, driven by counterterrorism and security concerns, illustrates the contradictory nature of US-Taliban relations.
Fact or Fiction?
The claim seemed dubious to us because if the US president had recognised or announced any plans to recognise the Taliban government, it would have been widely reported by global and local news outlets. However, the lack of credible news reports raised our suspicions.
Additionally, we did not find any official statements from the Trump administration regarding any plans to recognise the Taliban government.
We reviewed the Facebook page that first shared the claim, and its About section seemed suspicious. The introduction read, “صرف عمران خان کے ٹائیگر فالو کریں” [Only Imran Khan’s tigers should follow]. The page featured images of Imran Khan as both the display and cover photo, indicating that it was created in support of the jailed PTI chairman and is not a credible, unbiased news source.
An analysis of recent posts on the page revealed that most of the content was in support of Imran Khan and PTI.
The claim appears to have emerged after recent developments such as prisoner exchanges and meetings, but these do not amount to a formal recognition.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, and here.
On X, it was shared here (archive) and here (archive).
Conclusion: US President Donald Trump has not agreed to or announced plans to recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The claim likely emerged in response to recent diplomatic engagements between the two countries. However, these actions do not equate to formal recognition, and there are no official statements or credible news reports to confirm the claim.
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Background image in cover photo: REBECCA NOBLE / GETTY IMAGES
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