The Afghan Taliban on Sunday declared victory against Western forces in a statement titled "Formal Proclamation of the Islamic Emirate's Victory." The document does not stop at claiming military victory over the United States, but also promotes the Taliban, not just as a national political movement but as an international player.

Such a statement is to be expected, especially considering that the United States is in the early stages of negotiations with Taliban leadership and its chief, Mullah Mohammad Omar. The Taliban see a need to highlight the gains they have made in the decade since the fall of their government. At the same time, they are trying to once again affect a transformation, from a non-state to state actor.

The Taliban fought their way to power in the 1990s. This time around they realize they will need to supplement military options by operating within a political process. There are a number of reasons for this calculation, starting with the changed nature of Afghanistan today relative to the 1990s.

Back then, years of civil war had left a complete power vacuum, with very little to mark Afghanistan as a functioning state. Today, despite all its weaknesses, an Afghan state exists, and the Taliban will not be able to simply push it aside. Assuming the Taliban could eventually defeat the Afghan government, such a reality would require a long military struggle.

Even in the case of such a victory, the Taliban would remain an internationally proscribed entity. The Taliban do not simply seek to return to power in Afghanistan. They would like their political comeback to be recognized by the international community.

Thus, their latest statement praises the movement's military prowess but also emphasizes how the Taliban are now being courted by international powers. Specifically, the statement mentions the move, recently acknowledged by the Taliban and the United States, to open a political office in Qatar. That said, with negotiations in the opening stages, the Taliban know they have to draw attention to their strong military position to exact the concessions necessary to realize their goal of being the country's largest stakeholder in a future government.

One of the Taliban's key challenges is to manage a transformation from a radical armed force fighting foreign troops to a political movement that can negotiate a peace settlement with those same foreign powers and their allies in the Afghan government. This adjustment will be difficult considering the Taliban are one of the most radical Islamist movements in the world. Ensuring that everyone in the movement follows leadership toward this end will be a daunting task, especially given the diffuse nature of the Taliban.

Further complicating matters, the United States is demanding a long-term intelligence and special operations forces presence in the country, even after the withdrawal of the bulk of NATO troops from the country. Mullah Omar and his associates will find this demand extremely difficult to accept since it will completely undermine their credibility within the movement — something that the al Qaeda-led transnational jihadists would love to exploit to their advantage. This latest statement aims to shape Western perceptions, but it is also meant to prepare the movement from within for the tough bargaining that lies ahead.