In Afghanistan, a New ‘Great Game’ With ISIS, ISK and Pakistan is On with a Vengeance

Just days after a hugely publicised US-Taliban ‘peace’ deal, renewed violence ripped through Afghanistan — 76 attacks across 24 provinces — as the Taliban lifted its week-long commitment on ‘reduction of violence’. The Islamic State in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for two of these attacks, while the Taliban — as has been the case earlier — denied all involvement. Amid all this violence, Kabul and Herat witnessed sporadic anti-India protests, in development that both surprising and unprecedented. Clearly, a ‘great game’ of local proportions seems to be back with a vengeance. The country has also witnessed protests against Pakistan. Read More…