Two men claim the presidency in Afghanistan

As rocket fire landed within earshot, incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told attendees at his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, “We’ve seen bigger attacks. Don’t be afraid of just two blasts.” Many Afghans fear more violence ahead after Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, each took the oath of office at simultaneous ceremonies. Both claimed victory in September’s election, which Ghani officially won but Abdullah said was tainted by fraud.

What about the Taliban? Afghan political factions planned to sit down with leaders of the Islamic terror group for peace talks on Tuesday, but that probably won’t happen now. The breakdown further erodes the path to peace that the United States envisioned after recent negotiations with the Taliban.

Dig deeper: Read Mickey McLean’s report in The Sift for more details about the U.S.-Taliban peace deal.