The billions spent by the US and NATO on the Afghan military could not fix major internal flaws. On August 15, the Taliban captured the Afghan capital Kabul and declared the war in Afghanistan over. The lightning speed with which the group made major territorial gains as the Afghan National …
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Who are the Taliban’s key leaders in Afghanistan?
Six important figures lead the Taliban movement, which has been fighting the Western-backed government since 2001. The Taliban has been fighting the Western-backed Afghan government in Kabul since it was removed from power in 2001. It originally drew members from so-called “mujahideen” fighters who, with support from the United States, …
Read More »Kabul near standstill on day one of the Taliban’s ‘Emirate’
The bustling metropolis of six million saw businesses shut as people stayed indoors after the Taliban took over. The first day of what the Taliban calls the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” saw Kabul, a bustling metropolis of six million, turn into a slow, male-dominated city without police or traffic controls …
Read More »The US, the Taliban and the stunning defeat in Afghanistan
The Taliban victory is a major humiliation for the US, but perhaps that’s the silver lining of the Afghan tragedy. Last week’s turn of events in Afghanistan has been utterly shocking but hardly surprising. The Taliban’s blistering takeover of the country’s main cities was breathtaking in its speed and ease, …
Read More »Congress Vows Probe of Afghanistan Withdrawal
Members of the U.S. Congress, including many of President Jo e Biden’s fellow Democrats, said on Tuesday they were increasingly frustrated with events in Afghanistan, and they vowed to investigate what went wrong. “The events of recent days have been the culmination of a series of mistakes made by Republican …
Read More »Taliban Frees Thousands of Prisoners, Including al Qaeda and ISIS Fighters
As the Taliban takes ov er Afghanistan, it has freed thousands of prisoners, including top leaders affiliated with al Qaeda and ISIS, a move likely to complicate U.S. efforts to evacuate personnel from Kabul. The release of more than 5,000 prisoners from Bagram Air Base, which the Taliban captured during …
Read More »ANALYSIS: What the Taliban Can Teach the United States About Inclusive Government
Muslims, people of color, and formerly incarcerated individuals are heavily represented in militant group’s leadership President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies claim to value diversity and inclusion in government, but their actions suggest otherwise. They have praised Biden’s cabinet as the “most diverse” in American history, yet they refuse …
Read More »Regional Powers Assess a New Afghanistan
As the United States continues to mount an evacuation effort from Afghanistan, not all foreigners are headed for the exits, as regional powers begin to assess their positions as the country comes under a new regime. No immediate bonanza awaits Afghanistan’s prospective partners. It remains one of the poorest countries …
Read More »U.S. Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland’s Visits to Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco
U.S. Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland visited Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco August 10-16. Ambassador Norland met with senior officials in Cairo and Ankara, and with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita in Rabat. The Ambassador’s travel focused on the urgency of establishing the constitutional basis and legal framework …
Read More »PM says Israel will respond to Gaza rocket fire ‘at a time of our choosing’
Visiting troops at the Gaza border, Bennett says Israel holds Hamas responsible for attack which ended three months of relative calm; Gantz says Hamas is the real enemy of Gazans, not Israel A day after rocket fire from the Gaza Strip resumed, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned on Tuesday that …
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