U.S. Exit 90% Complete, Taliban Continues Offensive

NEW DELHI: On ‘The Gist‘, Bilal Sarwary, Senior Journalist in Afghanistan discusses the situation on-the-ground with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi. The Taliban has launched an offensive on the north-western provincial capital of Badghis, bordering Turkmenistan after advances in Badakhshan, on the border with Tajikistan. This even as Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif hosts a Taliban delegation and Afghan officials in Tehran. Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stopped over in Tehran on his way for bilateral talks in Moscow. Both meetings have Afghanistan on top of the agenda. After vacating the iconic Bagram airfield on July 2, the U.S. Central Command now estimates it has ‘completed more than 90% of the entire withdrawal process’.