Who are the Taliban and what are they doing in Afghanistan?

Taliban fighters take control of the Afghan presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15, 2021. Violence in Afghanistan grew to its highest levels in two decades.

What is the US-Taliban peace deal?

After years of negotiations, the Taliban and the Trump administration finally signed a peace deal in 2020. The US agreed to withdraw troops and release some 5,000 Taliban prisoners, while the Taliban agreed to take steps to prevent any group or individual, including al Qaeda, from using Afghanistan to threaten the security of the US or its allies.

Why are Afghan forces surrendering so fast?

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The surrenders seem to be happening as fast as the Taliban can travel. In the past several days, the Afghan security forces have collapsed in more than 15 cities under the pressure of a Taliban advance that began in May.

What is the future of Afghanistan’s military?

While the future of Afghanistan seems more and more uncertain, one thing is becoming exceedingly clear: The United States’ 20-year endeavor to rebuild Afghanistan’s military into a robust and independent fighting force has failed, and that failure is now playing out in real time as the country slips into Taliban control.

Why did Mullah Omar ask the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to stop attacks?

Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar asked the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in late 2008 and early 2009 to stop attacks inside Pakistan, to change their focus as an organisation and to fight the Afghan National Army and ISAF forces in Afghanistan instead.

Which countries have withdrawn diplomatic ties with the Taliban?

On 22 September, the United Arab Emirates, and later Saudi Arabia, withdrew recognition of the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legal government, leaving neighbouring Pakistan as the only remaining country with diplomatic ties.

What’s happening in Afghanistan?

Violence in Afghanistan grew to its highest levels in two decades. The Taliban increased their control of wider swaths of the country — and by June of this year, contested or controlled an estimated 50\% to 70\% of Afghan territory outside of urban centers, according to a United Nations Security Council report.

Is ISAF’s ‘too-hasty withdrawal’ in Afghanistan tooasty?

The “too-hasty withdrawal” in reality began in 2014, when the vast majority of ISAF forces left Afghanistan, five years after President Barack Obama’s ill-fated “surge”. The residual force of 10,000-15,000 never had the capacity to reclaim the initiative from the Taliban.

What is the Taliban’s policy on women’s rights in Afghanistan?

After the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, the Sunni Islamist organization put in place strict rules. Women had to wear head-to-toe coverings, weren’t allowed to study or work and were forbidden from traveling alone.