Top Cmdr Calls for More Troops in Afghanistan, Warns About Russia
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan wants several thousand more troops from the U.S. and its allies to help break the “stalemate” in the 15 […] More
Taliban
Trump Administration Faces Daunting Challenges in Afghanistan
One of the most daunting foreign policy tasks facing the Trump Administration is determining America’s path forward in Afghanistan. From the time he launched his […] More
A Sustainable Security Strategy for Afghanistan
The Afghanistan and Pakistan region is home to 20 UN and U.S. designated terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS), and the Haqqani network. This […] More
Developing and Sticking With a Clear Strategy in Afghanistan
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly said that fighting Islamic extremism is one of his administration’s top priorities. Determining the path forward in Afghanistan, where the […] More
Afghanistan: The U.S. Must Settle In for the Long Haul
The Cipher Brief sat down with former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ronald Neumann to discuss some of the challenges that the incoming Trump Administration will […] More
Nudging Afghanistan in the Right Direction
With the Trump Administration set to take office next month, The Cipher Brief spoke with Robert Grenier, former CIA Chief of Station in Pakistan and […] More
Combatting Haqqani Network is Key to Afghan Strategy
The Taliban is mounting an increasingly deadly insurgency across Afghanistan, including a breakthrough into Lashkar Gah, the capital of Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province, earlier this […] More
Pakistan's Influence and Control
The Haqqani network’s continued presence in Pakistan, as well as recent Taliban advances in Afghanistan, have resulted in a “steady deterioration in U.S.-Pakistan relations over […] More
State of Taliban in Afghanistan Today
Taliban fighters are pushing towards Tirin Kot, the capital of Afghanistan’s southern Uruzgan province, while two other cities – Kunduz in the north and Lashkar […] More
Mounting Security Challenges in Afghanistan
With Taliban and ISIS attacks occurring in Afghanistan almost daily, questions surrounding the direction of the country’s security apparatus loom large. Despite U.S. President Barack […] More
Not All of the News is Bad
As the Taliban and ISIS continue to launch attacks across Afghanistan, U.S. and Afghan forces face the daunting task of bringing stability to one of […] More
Far From Achieving Strategic Objectives
The Cipher Brief spoke with Congressman Will Hurd of Texas about the increasing security challenges in Afghanistan. According to Hurd, U.S. objectives in Afghanistan have […] More
The Importance of Engaging with Pakistan
I served as an undercover officer in the CIA in South Asia’s three largest countries: India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. While in Pakistan, I had the […] More
Implications of Top Pakistani Taliban Leader’s Death
The leader of one of the deadliest factions within the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), Omar Mansoor, was killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan on Wednesday, U.S. […] More
Fallout from Taliban Leader’s Death by Drone
This morning, the White House confirmed the death of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Saturday […] More
The Taliban's Persistent Threat
Last week the Taliban announced the opening of its annual spring offensive. The year ahead is going to be a difficult one for the Afghan […] More
Taliban on the Offensive
One week after announcing the start of its annual “spring offensive” – dubbed “Operation Omari” after the late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar – the Taliban carried […] More
A Real Force To Be Reckoned With
As the Taliban causes havoc on the battlefield and with terrorist attacks, The Cipher Brief asked Daniel Markey, a former State Department official and senior […] More