The US does not look at the Afghan Taliban as a extremist group, explaining it as "an armed insurgency". It called the Islamic State as a "terrorist" outfit, sketching a disputable distinction between the two groups. "The Taliban is an armed insurgency. ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant) is a terrorist group.

So we don't make concessions to terrorist groups," White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters on Wednesday. When questioned for another time whether the Taliban is a terrorist group, he replied, "I don't think that the Taliban, — the Taliban is an armed insurgency".