![Afghan National Army officers keep watch at a check point in Kabul, Afghanistan July 8, 2021. [Mohammad Ismail/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Afghanarmy.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
If the Taliban take over Kabul or another civil war starts, chaos would spread across the region.
![If Russia has begun to view the Taliban as an alternative to the Afghan government, then it is on the wrong side of history, writes Sharifi [Alexander Zemlianichenko/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/29d8f0aa62ad4f04b829f83b769fad97_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180)
Vladimir Putin’s posturing towards Afghanistan has opened a new chapter in the great game in the heart of Asia.
![Ashraf Ghani signs a peace agreement with Hezb-i-Islami, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, in Kabul, Afghanistan [REUTERS]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/7bea87467cc5408fb679c0ba154cc620_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180)
For the Afghan president, a deal with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is a political win, but it may not bring political stability.