Recent Posts

10 maps to understand Afghanistan

Al Jazeera visualises Afghanistan – a mostly mountainous country of 38 million people – which has suffered decades of war. Over the past few days, the Taliban has taken 26 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals. The armed group now controls an estimated 65 percent of the country’s territory, as the …

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Why did the Afghan army disintegrate so quickly?

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, …

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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, …

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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 …

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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 …

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