The Coronavirus Pandamic Is Changing The Dynamics On How The War In Afghanistan Is Being Waged

Reuters

Sabera Azizi, National Interest: The Coronavirus Is Changing How the War in Afghanistan Is Being Waged

The pandemic has caused the Taliban to shift its tactic from mainly targeting densely populated cities to attacking rural areas. This shift in strategy is likely due to the Taliban strategizing to avoid exposure to the virus by steering away from the cities that have been hit the hardest by it.

As the coronavirus continues to spread in Afghanistan in April, Gen. Austin Scott Miller, the head of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission and United States Forces–Afghanistan, and Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, met with the Taliban in Qatar.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the increased attacks carried out by the Taliban in Afghanistan—a violation of the deal signed between Washington and the Taliban. Since the signing of the deal, the Taliban has carried out more than 2,162 attacks across Afghanistan. The Taliban’s insistence on posing as a security threat led Washington to retaliate by carrying out an airstrike against the Taliban just days after the signing of the agreement.

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WNU Editor: The tactics may have changed, but the war grinds on.