Perceptions and Realities: Engaging with the Taliban

President Trump is pushing the military to accelerate the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, all but guaranteeing a major place for the Taliban in the country’s future.

As a child, Mujib Mashal lived through the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Now a senior correspondent there for The New York Times, he has for years reported on the extremist group and, more recently, has covered the progress of peace talks.

In this episode of “The Daily,” he shares memories of his childhood and tales from his reporting, and reflects on whether a peaceful resolution is possible.

Guest: Mujib Mashal, senior correspondent in Afghanistan for The New York Times.

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Background reading:

• President Trump is expected to order the U.S. military to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia by the time he leaves office in January.
• The Taliban have outlasted a superpower through nearly 19 years of grinding war and now stand on the brink of realizing their most fervent desire: U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan. They have given up little of their extremist ideology to do it.
• Children of men who played key roles in the war against the Soviets in the 1980s are on both sides of the negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban. They know all too well what is at stake.

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