Obaidullah Baheer

The Afghans who stayed are stuck between a rock and a hard place

Afghans are glad to be liberated from a corrupt system but are terrified at the prospect of a tyrannical alternative.

Taliban and the question of international recognition

The international community wields the powerful card of isolating or recognising the Taliban regime; a delicate balance that will affect average Afghans and regional stability alike.

Avoiding a final stand in Kabul

An urgent power-sharing agreement between Ghani’s government and the Taliban is one way of avoiding bloody confrontation in the capital.

There are no innocent bystanders in the Afghan war

A political and economic intervention by the international community could drive the conflict to a stalemate in favour of the Kabul government, giving it space to create a new strategy.

What are the possible outcomes of the Afghanistan - Taliban conflict?

While a local peace proposal is ideal, realities on the ground demand that the parties avoid further bloodshed and meet halfway through a political settlement.

The CIA’s Afghanistan assessment risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy

What Afghans need is for the US to be a responsible partner and stop adding fuel to the fire by foretelling the collapse of the Afghan government after announcing troop withdrawal.