Taliban violence surges amid peace talks

The second Taliban attack this week in Afghanistan’s capital killed more than 10 people, including a U.S. service member. A car bomb went off Thursday in Kabul’s Shashdarak area, which houses the NATO Resolute Support mission and the U.S. Embassy. A Romanian soldier and at least 10 civilians also died, and about 40 other people sustained injuries.

What does this mean for the ongoing peace talks? U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad visited Afghan President Ashraf Ghani this week in Kabul to discuss a peace deal “in principle” with the Taliban that could end the 18-year war. But civilians worry a hasty withdrawal of foreign troops could result in more violence and deaths. The Taliban this week also bombed an Afghan military base in Logar province and a Kabul neighborhood with a large international community. “Peace with a group that is still killing innocent people is meaningless,” Ghani said.

Dig deeper: Shabbir Kazmi with the Eurasia Review discusses the Afghan people’s concerns over the peace talks.