Foreign Affairs: The Forces That Could Threaten the Taliban’s Control – Peering ahead, a renewed civil war could take many forms. One is the resumption of decades-long fighting between the Taliban, which is composed primarily of Pashtuns, and resistance groups based in the country’s north that tend to draw from Afghanistan’s Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek
Michael Hughes: President Joe Biden remains on the defensive over the administration’s handling of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, more than a week after the exit’s one-year anniversary, as Republican rivals sharpen their knives seeing an issue ripe for exploitation ahead of the midterm elections. With control of Congress hanging in the balance in November
Michael Hughes: A year after the U.S. military’s disastrously-managed withdrawal from Afghanistan, a train wreck of epic proportions that made America’s last days in Vietnam look sane, President Joe Biden is thumping his chest about his administration’s counterterrorism record. As he marked the one-year anniversary of the attack that killed thirteen U.S. service members and
8am: Non-Muslim countries and societies, especially America and Europe, are called infidels and enemies of God and the Prophet from the Taliban’s point of view, and fighting against them is considered a religious duty, and friendship with them is forbidden, on the other hand, Taliban have been begging these infidels for direct interaction, support and
Japan Times: The Taliban again govern in Kabul, but the group does not control the entire country. Warlords are powerful. There is a chance of renewed civil war. The Taliban could improve their position by honoring promises to moderate their excesses and govern in ways that benefit all the people of Afghanistan. Click here to
Chris Mason via The National Interest: One year ago, I wrote in these pages that the war in Afghanistan was not over. As many as 5,000 Afghan soldiers who the United States trained were still fighting in Panjshir Province, the last redoubt against the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021, and I said
The National Interest: The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 came as a surprise to many. At the regional level, it raised concerns about Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan and its continuing relationship with the Taliban. Pakistan’s use of Afghanistan as a proxy to maintain its influence has been of particular interest to India, which
Michael Hughes: Afghanistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) plummeted by 40 percent overnight in the wake of the Taliban seizure of Kabul on August 15, 2021 because the international community cut off the foreign aid that had propped up the country’s economy for years. Such an earth-shattering loss of revenue no nation could survive, let alone
TRT World: Factional rift and competing interests to move up the power ladder are among the key factors pushing the former insurgent group to the brink of implosion. There are four major divisions in the Taliban administration. The first is between the movements’ pragmatist and hardline leaders. The second division is between the Taliban fighters
Nathan J. Robinson and Noam Chomsky via Current Affairs: The 20-year war in Afghanistan is often spoken of as a well-intentioned failure. In fact, it was a major crime originating in bloodlust and an indifference to Afghan lives. The U.S. bears a major responsibility for the present suffering of Afghans and has an obligation to