The Taliban makes gains as the US prepares to leave Afghanistan
- Taliban militants have claimed 50 of Afghanistan’s 370 districts since May, as the insurgent group has begun pressing into territory they do not traditionally hold and the US and NATO troops prepare to leave after two decades. [CNN / Nic Robertson, Mohammed Tawfeeq, and Richard Roth]
- As the Taliban gains ground across northern Afghanistan, anti-Taliban militias have sprung up in multiple provinces, triggering fears of a potential civil war and the kind of anarchy the country experienced in the 1990s. [Washington Post / Pamela Constable and Ezzatullah Mehrdad]
- As in the '90s, after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union and the rise of mujahedeen militia infighting, various ethnic groups are arming themselves, creating the potential for Afghanistan to return to a coalition of fiefdoms and undermine the democratic government. [NYT / David Zucchino and Fatima Faizi]
- With the impending withdrawal of the last US forces, many Afghan translators and contractors who have worked with American military officials for years say they fear for their lives due to the Taliban, and are waiting on a solution to a visa backlog that would help them escape to the US. [ABC News / Martha Raddatz, Cindy Smith, and Conor Finnegan]
- The United Nations is desperately trying to ensure negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban occur diplomatically rather than on the battlefield, urging the Taliban to honor its agreement to renounce terrorism in exchange for American forces leaving the country. [AP / Edith M. Lederer]
