Taliban gains territory, power in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s foreign minister accused the Taliban on Tuesday of carrying out its worst attacks of the past two decades. He urged the international community to intervene and try to persuade the Taliban to honor a February 2020 agreement with the United States to curb the violence. Mohammad Haneef Atmar told the UN Security Council that the Taliban is hosting “not only al-Qaeda but also regional terrorist groups.”

What’s happening on the ground? Taliban fighters this week took control of a key district in the country’s northern Kunduz province and encircled the provincial capital. Fighting around the district began late Sunday. By midday Monday the group had overrun the district headquarters and controlled the police building. The Taliban has taken over dozens of districts since May 1, when U.S. and NATO troops began their final departure from Afghanistan. The Pentagon has reaffirmed the U.S. troop withdrawal is on pace to conclude by early September.

Dig deeper: Read Mindy Belz’s report on how the troop withdrawal endangers Afghan residents, including Christians.