The Taliban stunned the world with the speed of their blitz through Afghanistan and capture of Kabul on August 15. As they surged to victory, the group tried to create an image of themselves as a more moderate “Taliban 2.0” – savvy on social media and keen for good diplomatic …

Atop a craggy mountain that has withstood foreign invaders for decades, anti-Taliban fighters fire a mounted heavy machine gun into a deep valley. They are members of the National Resistance Front (NRF) — the most prominent Afghan opposition group to emerge since the Taliban captured Kabul nine days ago.

US President Joe Biden is likely to come under pressure Tuesday from G7 leaders to extend the August 31 deadline for evacuating US citizens, Western nationals and Afghans trying to flee the country in the wake of the takeover of Afghanistan by the Islamist Taliban. Biden will participate on Tuesday …