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THE timing could not have been worse for Afghanistan’s beleaguered president, Ashraf Ghani. On the eve of a major conference of international donors in Brussels, at which the Afghan government would show off its achievements after two years in office and present its vision for the future, Taliban insurgents stormed into the northern city of Kunduz in the early hours of October 3rd. The militants occupied civilian houses and made it all the way to the city’s central square, where they hoisted their group’s white-coloured flag.

It was almost a year to the day since the Taliban had seized parts of the city for the first time. A shaken Mr Ghani had promised then that it would never happen again. This time, within 24 hours, the Taliban retreated—at least from the centre—after the arrival of Afghan special forces and NATO “advisers” (backed by local militias, members of which are pictured). But the embarrassment had been inflicted. At about the same time, the Taliban also launched an attack from their southern front in Helmand, capturing a district on the edge of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. Only two of Helmand’s 13 districts are now...Continue reading

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