By Carlos Munoz, The Washington Times: “The first Marine Corps task force to deploy to southern Afghanistan’s violent Helmand province since the Corps pulled out of the region in 2014, officially ended their nearly yearlong mission on Monday.”
Samuel Ramani writes: Russian policymakers support engagement with Taliban factions that support a diplomatic settlement in Afghanistan, while eschewing factions that seek to destabilize the war-torn country. Moscow’s selective engagement strategy toward the Taliban contrasts markedly with Washington’s historical resistance to engagement with the Afghan militant group. - Washington Post