The Washington Post Democracy Dies in Darkness

With U.S. withdrawal delay likely, and new peace proposal on the table, Taliban faces inevitable crossroads

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March 27, 2021 at 4:00 a.m. EDT
Members of the Taliban delegation attend a joint news conference in Moscow, on March 19. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

DOHA, Qatar — For months, the Taliban has managed to both talk peace and wage war across Afghanistan.

The strategy appeared to appease the hard-liners within the militant group who want an outright military victory to end the 20-year conflict and moderate members of the movement who would accept a political solution.