Inside Story

Can the Afghan army defeat the Taliban?

The Taliban has made huge gains in the southeastern city of Ghazni, about 150km from the capital, Kabul.

The people of Afghanistan have not known peace for a long time.

In the 1980s, it was the conflict to end the Soviet occupation.

In the 1990s, they had to contend with the brutal rule of the Taliban.

That ended with the 2001 US invasion following the 9/11 attacks.

But the Taliban never really went away, and its recent raid on the southeastern city of Ghazni is a sign of how much of a threat the armed group still poses.

At least 400 people have been killed, a quarter of them civilians.

The Afghan military says it is making strategic gains with US air support. 

But will it succeed? And how much of a threat does the Taliban pose?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests:

Shafiq Hamdam – Chairman of the Afghan Anti-Corruption Network and a former adviser to NATO

Ahmad Majidyar – Resident fellow at the Middle East Institute

Mushtaq Rahim – Political analyst specialising in regional security