The Taliban now control more of northern Afghanistan than they did from 1996 to 2001. However, their largest gains are in the southern provinces of Helmand and Uruzgan, where they recently laid siege to both provincial capitals – prompting the United States to redeploy several hundred troops to aid the Afghan National Security Forces.
The Taliban constitute a major threat to the weak, U.S.-backed Afghan government, and continue to push through Afghanistan, making it unlikely that we will see an end to the Afghan civil war any time soon. For more information, check out this week’s Deep Dive.
Special Collection – The Middle East