A bomb blast in western Pakistan may have targeted the Afghan Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Afghanistan
It appears that it’s the beginning of the end of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.
U.S. and Taliban officials are sticking to the same script, offering little information on the state of their peace negotiations.
Hanif Atmar suspends his campaign. That may signal that Afghanistan’s presidential elections are off or ethnic strife lies ahead for the country.
Surprisingly, the Afghan Taliban did not take Pakistan’s side in the ongoing crisis in Kashmir.
Trump may visit Afghanistan and Pakistan in September if peace talks between the U.S government and the Taliban go according to plan.
Something curious is happening. Al-Qaeda leaders are being reported as dead or dying by U.S. officials as Washington closes in on a deal with the Afghan Taliban.
Hamza bin Laden, the son of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, is reportedly dead.
These trendlines should create alarm in Kabul and Washington.
The Trump administration would like to secure a preliminary deal with the Taliban by September 1. But Afghanistan’s messy politics could get in the way.