Inside Story

Can the president of Afghanistan rein in the Taliban?

Ashraf Ghani suffers a setback on the first anniversary of his presidency.

For the first time since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, Taliban fighters have seized control of the city of Kunduz – their former stronghold in northern Afghanistan.

One of the first things fighters did was to liberate their comrades from the local prison.

The Afghan army is now trying to regain control of Kunduz. 

The attack on Kunduz is a blow for the government of President Ashraf Ghani, on the first anniversary of his inauguration. It also raises more questions over how ready Afghan forces are to tackle the Taliban.

And just how strong is the Afghan government?

Presenter: Jane Dutton

Guests:

Haroun Mir, political analyst and founder of Afghanistan’s Center for Research and Policy Studies

Omar Samad, Senior Adviser to Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah

Mujib Mashal, journalist for the New York Times.