Afghan Leader Sees Peace Talks as Dead, Braces for Civil War
- Taliban capture six provincial capitals, set sights on Kabul
- President Ghani moves to arm citizens, cooperate with warlords
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani views peace talks with the Taliban as dead, and is looking to both arm civilians and cooperate with warlords to prevent the militant group from overrunning his administration in Kabul.
Since the weekend the Taliban has captured the capitals of five northern provinces and one in the west, where they met little resistance from the Afghan army. The U.S. military, which has already withdrawn most of its troops ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline to exit the country after 20 years of war, said Sunday it conducted airstrikes in an effort to protect its allies.