OPINION — There has been considerable comparison between the Taliban and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as both groups originated from extremist [...]
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EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — In April of 2024, I offered some thoughts in The Cipher Brief on a possible way forward in Afghanistan. That approach [...]
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EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — In April of 2024, I offered some thoughts in The Cipher Brief on a possible way forward in Afghanistan. That approach [...]
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OPINION — While all eyes are on developments in the Middle East and the situation between Russia and Ukraine - rightfully so - another country needs [...]
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OPINION — While all eyes are on developments in the Middle East and the situation between Russia and Ukraine - rightfully so - another country needs [...]
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Mark Kelton, Former Deputy Director, CIA's Counterintelligence, National Clandestine ServiceCipher Brief Expert Mark Kelton is a retired senior [...]
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As information emerges about Islamic State of Khorasan, or ISIS-K - the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for last week’s suicide attack [...]
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President Joe Biden admitted during his address from the White House this week that, “The scenes we're seeing in Afghanistan, they're gut-wrenching, [...]
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General Joseph L. Votel (Ret.) joined BENS as CEO & President in January 2020 following a 39-year military career where he commanded special [...]
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Bottom Line Up Front: There are indications that the Taliban have no intention of reaching a compromise and believe they can take over Afghanistan [...]
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Cipher Brief Expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey served for over 27 years in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office where his focus was on South Asia and [...]
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The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Trend Line Report utilizes open source data on a quarterly basis to track trends around the world that impact national [...]
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Bottom Line Up FrontOver the weekend, the United States and the Afghan Taliban, also referred to as the Quetta Shura Taliban, reached an agreement to [...]
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Bottom Line Up FrontAfter a month of on again, off again talks, the United States and the Afghan Taliban seem to have reached an agreement that could [...]
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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan recently returned from China without the concrete funding assurances that he was seeking in order to keep his [...]
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Nearly two and a half years ago, General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.) wrote an opinion piece published in The Washington Post, titled, ‘5 ‘big [...]
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is welcoming a ceasefire offer made to the Afghan Taliban over the weekend by the Afghan government. The offer [...]
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