What the Taliban Surge Means for China, the U.S. and Afghanistan
- Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul is safe, for now
- U.S. conducts airstrikes at Afghan government's request
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The Taliban this week captured the strategic Afghan city of Kunduz -- the first time they have taken a provincial capital since the U.S. invasion in 2001 -- undermining President Ashraf Ghani’s authority as foreign soldiers leave.
A Taliban victory would put other major Afghan urban centers at risk and disrupt President Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw most American troops by the end of 2016. The U.S. has spent more than $700 billion to oust the Taliban and set up a stable democracy in Afghanistan that denies a safe haven to terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.