Taliban

The targeted killing of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in Pakistan by a U.S. drone strike, less than a year after he replaced Taliban founder Mullah Omar, has dominated commentaries in the English-language dailies of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The coalition bombing of a Medicines sans Frontiers hospital in Kunduz has thrust the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan back into the international spotlight. The tragic incident follows the overrunning of the Afghan forces in the city of Kunduz by the Taliban. U.S.

Upon taking office, Afghani president Ashraf Ghani promised that he would pursue a diplomatic solution to the ongoing security situation in the country by engaging directly with the Taliban. The events of the last few days have shown that Mr.

This week the Pakistani government met with representatives of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to negotiate an end to hostilities between the two parties. Even though the talks did not have a good start, some are holding out hope that something good might come out of them.

The tenth anniversary of the beginning of US military action in Afghanistan has provided an opportunity for looking back as well as for casting the gaze forward.

President Barack Obama announced last week the withdrawal of 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and 23,000 more by the end of summer 2012, followed by further reductions leading to a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops by 2014.

Last Sunday, Islamic terrorists in Pakistan made good on their threats following Osama Bin Laden’s death by launching a well-coordinated and devastating attack on the Mehran naval airbase in Karachi, Pakistan. The attack left many dead and caused billions of dollars in damage.

Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989; the Marxist regime Moscow had been supporting fell in 1992.  The Taliban seized control of Kabul — and most of Afghanistan — in 1996. Will a similar progression occur in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the U.S.