The government’s radio silence is handing a propaganda victory to the insurgents.
Foreign Policy
Inside Afghanistan, where people fear being left alone
The war is still raging, the Taliban are agitating, and the Americans are leaving. If it’s to achieve a better future, this is a country that desperately needs friends.
https://www.tortoisemedia.com/
Photo: Lorenzo Tugnoli
Afghan Air Force Could Be Grounded After U.S. Pullout
The one advantage the Afghan army had on the Taliban looks set to slip away with the hasty U.S. withdrawal.
Foreign Policy
The Withdrawal from Afghanistan by US and Allied Forces
https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/the-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-by-us-and-allied-forces/
A conversation with a veteran war reporter.
By Luke Hunt
Taliban Map Out Future Vision for Afghanistan
The militant group’s spokesman vows to “continue our war” until Afghanistan has an Islamic government.
Foreign Policy
Afghanistan Swamped by COVID-19’s Third Wave
The government dithered and denied the pandemic’s severity. Now, a health disaster looms.
Foreign Policy
We must stand up for Afghanistan’s reporters
Journalism was helping to bring democracy to Afghanistan. Now they are killing journalists and the future looks bleak again
British Journalism Review
Walk In My Combat Boots The latest blockbuster by James Patterson with Matt Eversham
Includes a chapter on Lynne O’Donnell
Women Cut Out of the Afghan Peace Process
Two decades of progress are threatened by the Taliban return—and a hasty U.S. exit.
Foreign Policy
Afghanistan Wanted Chinese Mining Investment. It Got a Chinese Spy Ring Instead.
Desperate to jump-start its economy, Kabul is sick of waiting for Beijing to tap the country’s mineral wealth.
Foreign Policy
THE YEAR IN REVIEW Forever’s Gonna Stop Tonight
Trump pledged to end America’s “forever wars.” He almost managed to—but left carnage behind.
Afghans, Under Fire for Corruption, Accuse Donors of Hypocrisy
Much of the donor money to Afghanistan is lost to fraud and abuse, in part by Western companies.
Crime Wave Further Rocks Confidence in Afghan Government
Afghan officials are trying to contain a spate of kidnappings and armed robberies that appear designed to bolster public thirst for Taliban-style justice—just ahead of a critical donor meeting.
Foreign Policy
Afghans Caught in the Crossfire While U.S. Prepares to Clear Out
Despite ongoing peace talks, intensifying Taliban attacks on Afghans across the country are out of control—and threaten the country’s future.
Foreign Policy
The Taliban, at Least, Are Striking Gold in Afghanistan
The militant group mines almost half a billion dollars a year from Afghan soil—and wants more.
Foreign Policy
US mourns 9/11 dead, Trump tries to end ‘forever wars’
Nearly 20 years of war has led to the deaths and injury of an estimated 300,000 Iraqi and Afghan people.
Al Jazeera
Defying Peace Deal, Freed Taliban Return to Battlefield
A new confidential report concludes that a majority of fighters are resuming their “jihad” to overthrow the U.S.-backed Afghan government.
Foreign Policy
Factional Struggles Emerge in Virus-Afflicted Taliban Top Ranks
The Afghan government fears that internal clashes within the militant group will leave it without a reliable peace partner.
Foreign Policy
Leader of Afghan Taliban Said to Be Gravely Ill With the Coronavirus
Foreign Policy
“Nearly all the Taliban leadership in Doha has the bug,” a senior Afghan official said.
Taliban Leadership in Disarray on Verge of Peace Talks
Foreign Policy