| dc.description.abstract | In the aftermath of the US and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the war-torn
nation has experienced a signi cant shift in the nature of its endless con ict. Following
the Taliban regaining power by ousting the Kabul regime, Afghanistan has once again
transcended as the latest geopolitical battleground for superpowers and regional state
actors. The perpetual state of war in Afghanistan has converged local and transnational
militant aspirations with geopolitical interests - leading to a nexus between state and
non-state actors that are engaging in a hybrid war. The utilization of hybrid warfare
strategies in Afghanistan by state and non-state actors has added a new dimension to
the con ict, which has developed into the latest major threat to peace and security
in the South and Central Asian region. As the Taliban grapples to maintain its hold
on governance, their authority and legitimacy faces persistent challenges from local
militants and transnational terrorist groups. This complex milieu provides a space for
state actors and militant groups to operate below the threshold of a conventional war,
by employing synchronized multidimensional methods of warfare. The objective of this
paper is to help guide strategic thinking by understanding the applications of the concept
of hybrid warfare in the context of the con ict in Afghanistan. This analysis examines
the implications to regional security in South and Central Asia, by exploring the current
trajectory of Afghanistan’s perpetual war, which has evolved into a state of “perpetual
hybridity” resulting from hybrid strategies that are directed by state and non -state actors. | en_US |
