Ajmal Aand is a journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan in Prague.
The Taliban has captured dozens of districts from Afghan government forces since the start of the international military withdrawal on May 1.
Beijing is preparing to wield more influence in Afghanistan but is cautious about getting too involved in the country’s chaos.
A former Afghan spymaster is skeptical that the Islamic State (IS) militants are capable of carrying out complex urban attacks such as the recent deadly assault on a military hospital in the capital, Kabul.
