The Taliban have not just taken some more cities, but are taking back the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul. Meanwhile, the UN was among those acting as intermediaries between the government and the Taliban so that there could be a peaceful transition. The sheer speed of the Taliban advance throws into sharp relief the importance of the US and other NATO troops to the Kabul government. - Advertisement -While Pakistan has shown that it is willing to engage the Taliban, it does so from nowhere near the position it did the last time the Taliban were in power. The fairly common assumption that the Taliban are a Taliban proxy, if ever true now, is certainly not true now.

Source: Pakistan Today August 15, 2021 18:11 UTC