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U.S. is currently spending $42 billion a year in Afghanistan. Everyone including Taliban are benefiting from this largesse. Once this tap is closed and American restraints on local and regional...

A commentary by Hamid Hussain, a regular SWC contributor.

“There is nothing further here for a warrior. We drive bargains; oldmen’s work. Young men make wars and the virtues of war are the...

Michael Semple, the author of this article is well-known for his knowledge of Afghanistan and the Taliban - which led to his expulsion a few years ago. So IMHO worth reading.

His last two...

An update, even slightly optimistic, on the talks involving the Taliban; citing an ICG expert:
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/26/afghanistan-war-us-taliban-talks-verge-breakthrough

Spotted via Twitter yesterday:
Link:https://www.voanews.com/a/taliban-tunnel-bomb-hits-afghan-army-base-italian-troops-survive-insider-attack/4725499.html and a little...

Long ago Pakistan detained a significant Afghan Taliban figure, although some contest his importance and via Twitter there is a story:...

This post will be cross-posted in the thread on ANSF performance.

A report from the probably independent Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) on the recent attack on Farah city. It opens with:

It...

A lengthy article by Professor Theo Farrell, ex-Kings War Studies, partly based on his first-hand research with ISAF and the Taliban. IT appears on WoTR from an affiliated website.

He opens with:...

Hat tip to WoTR for this short article on talking with the Taliban and a way to make peace:https://warontherocks.com/2017/02/insurgent-peace-making-a-new-approach-to-end-the-war-in-afghanistan/

Yet another think tank paper to read one day, with a renowned SME and a Kings War Studies professor:Link:https://rusi.org/publication/briefing-papers/ready-peace-afghan-taliban-after-decade-war

A FDD map tells so much....

My title based on an article from The Guardian, which starts with:Who would try to stop this? According to a:A familiar tactic. Plus GIRoA denying the talks have happened....

A lull maybe here, but the Taliban have 'not gone away' and there are some posts on their recent activity elsewhere.

This article via AP is to say the least not good news. It starts with:...

A CFR InfoGuide Presentation on The Taliban that starts with:
Link:http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/taliban/p35985?cid=soc-twitter-in-taliban_ig-012116#!/

...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CRcWIFOW0AAVfHu.png

A column by an Indian SME and ex-RAW insider. The full title being:Link:http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/dont-blame-the-isi/

It starts:

It must be the week to say leaders are dead:Link:http://www.dawn.com/news/1197598/jalaluddin-haqqani-is-dead-say-taliban-sources

The Haqqani group was (is) noted as a very capable insurgent group...

Hardly a surprise that WaPo reports:
...

Today there's a variety of commentaries after the Taliban finally announce their leader died sometime ago, two years maybe and in a presumably comfortable villa in a Pakistani city, Quetta and...

The Soufan Group's contribution:http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-the-islamic-state-of-khorasan/

AdamG,

Given the character of Afghan society that is byzantine in its intrigues and relationships an accusation of ISIS activity can hardly come as a surprise. Cast your memory back to the period...

The author of this article in The International Journal Stability of Security and Development is Michael Semple, once the EU's Irish expert on Afghanistan and the Taliban, now an academic @ Queens,...

Thirty one smaller threads referring to the Taliban have been merged into this thread today. Those left alone appear to deserve to be 'stand alone'.

Wayback in 2012 Posts 15 & 16 refer to a book edited by Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn, 'My Life with the Taliban'.

Today they won the Michael Howard prize, awarded by Kings College...

I know the Pakistani detention of Taliban and other Afghan militant leaders has appeared before, but cannot recall which thread they are in! Nor doe the names listed below "rings any bells". Somehow...