America Does Not Cave to the Demands of Terrorists!
Except when it does.
Perhaps one of the greatest falsehoods in US foreign policy is that America will not negotiate with terrorists. In 2002, President George W. Bush explicitly outlined this position when he said, “The United States will make no concessions to terrorist demands and strike no deals with them. We make no distinction between terrorists and those who knowingly harbor or provide aid to them.”
However, the fact is that America routinely negotiates with terrorists, grants them concessions, and strikes deals with them. As far as making “no distinction between terrorists and those who knowingly harbor or provide aid to them,” America routinely does that, as well (Pakistan: we are looking in your direction). But that is a topic for another day.
I could reach back decades into the archives to provide examples of the US conceding to terrorists’ demands, but recent history will suffice to prove my point. These four examples will get the job done—but make no mistake, there are many, many more:
The Taliban 5: In May 2014, the US exchanged the top five Taliban commanders it held at Guantanamo Bay for Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier who abandoned his post and was captured by the Haqqani Network. The Taliban 5 were known to be dangerous leaders with a long history of serving the Taliban and working with Al Qaeda. Fun fact: all five of these former GTMO detainees now hold senior positions in the Taliban’s government.
The Palestinian Problem: There is much to discuss here, but I’ll keep it short. There are two examples of how the US caves to Palestinian terrorists. First, in the wake of Hamas & Co.’s horrific assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the US served as an intermediary for Hamas during negotiations with Israel, even though Hamas murdered American citizens and currently holds others hostage. Second, the US has funded the Palestinian Authority (PA), even though the PA pays the families of so-called “martyrs”—terrorists who have murdered civilians.
US Removes Jolani’s Bounty: In December 2024, the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program lifted the $10 million bounty for Abu Mohammad al Jolani, the Specially Designated Global Terrorist leading Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), which the State describes as an Al Qaeda affiliate. The bounty was removed to allow a State Department official to meet with him. To clarify any illusions about Jolani, who now goes by Ahmad al Sharaa, let’s revisit the history of this longtime jihadist. He served as the head of Al Qaeda’s Syrian branch when it was known as the Al Nusrah Front and reported to Islamic State of Iraq emir Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who in turn reported to Osama bin Laden and then Ayman al Zawahiri. But today, Jolani … I mean, Sharaa … wears fine Italian suits and trims his beard, so he must be a moderate.
US removes Sirajuddin Haqqani’s bounty: The removal of a reward for one murderous, high-profile terrorist in the span of three months wasn’t enough. On March 23, 2025, the Rewards for Justice Program canceled the $10 million bounty for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s deputy emir and minister of interior. Additionally, State lifted the bounties for Sirajuddin's brother, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and his brother-in-law, Yahya Haqqani. All three Haqqanis are Specially Designated Global Terrorists with close ties to Al Qaeda. The US canceled the bounties to secure the release of two American hostages who were held by the Taliban.
I could write a book on Siraj’s greatest hits in Afghanistan; the short summary below will have to suffice. Siraj and his Haqqani Network, an integral part of the Taliban that is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, are responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Afghan soldiers, policemen, and civilians and thousands of American and Western allies.
Haqqani-led suicide assaults on hotels, restaurants, government facilities, hospitals, and other civilian targets in Kabul are legendary and far too numerous to detail here. However, one such attack has always stuck with me: Siraj’s brother, Badruddin, directed the June 28, 2011, suicide assault on the Intercontinental Hotel from Pakistan via phone. Call intercepts caught Badruddin directing one of the terrorists and laughing during the attack that killed 11 civilians and two Afghan policemen.
Siraj and his influential father, Jalaluddin, were instrumental in holding the Taliban together during its most dire point during the war. After it was disclosed in 2015 that Taliban leaders had been playing Weekend at Bernie’s with Mullah Omar’s corpse for two years, powerful Taliban factions began to waver and defect. It was Siraj and Jalaluddin who put the Taliban band back together.
Since the fall of the Afghan government in August 2021, Siraj and the Taliban haven't ceased their support for Al Qaeda and other terror groups. In fact, they've doubled down. Al Qaeda's last emir, Ayman al Zawahiri, was killed in a safe house in Kabul that was operated by one of Siraj’s lieutenants in July 2022. The United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reported in February 2025 that Al Qaeda is operating training camps in 12 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, while the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and Jamaat Ansarullah are operating in two additional provinces with Al Qaeda and the Taliban’s assistance. Additionally, Al Qaeda currently maintains other terror infrastructure in Afghanistan, including safe houses, religious schools, a media operations center, and a weapons storage depot.
If anyone deserves to remain on the Rewards for Justice Program, it is Siraj Haqqani. Some people may argue, as the State Department spokesman did, that removing this reward isn’t a big deal. Siraj remains a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the Haqqani Network remains a Foreign Terrorist Organization, they argue.
However, they are wrong. Withdrawing the rewards for the Haqqanis and Jolanis of the world shatters the oft-repeated myth that America does not negotiate with terrorists. And acquiescing to the demands of these terrorists merely emboldens and legitimizes them. They are incentivized to take more hostages to extract further concessions and gain even more legitimacy.
America’s latest, most recent compromises with murderous jihadists are yet more data points for how we know we lost the war on terror.