Inside Story

Will the US do a U-turn on Afghanistan troop withdrawal?

The Taliban is taking control of more areas as Afghan soldiers flee the country.

There is growing concern about the future of Afghanistan as the United States and allied troops leave the country.

Afghan forces are surrendering outposts and escaping in their hundreds to neighbouring Tajikistan. Those that do face the Taliban put up little or no resistance.

The heart of US operations in Afghanistan for almost two decades – Bagram airbase – is empty of American troops. And the Taliban is pressing on with its territorial campaign, making significant gains.

The group now controls almost one-third of the country’s 400 districts, mainly in the north.

How worrying are these latest developments?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault

Guests:

Obaidullah Baheer – Lecturer of transitional justice at American University Afghanistan

Peter Galbraith – Former deputy United Nations envoy to Afghanistan

Faiz Zaland – Political commentator and professor at Kabul University