South East Asia

The Afghan Taliban launched attacks across the border into Pakistan on Monday in response to Pakistani military airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan. The Pakistani military, which helped the Afghan Taliban seize control of the country, targeted members of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is sheltered and supported by the Afghan Taliban and is a a close ally of Al Qaeda.

The whole point is to leverage this geostrategic project to coerce uncomfortable compromises from Russia in the Ukrainian Conflict while facilitating the US’ “Pivot (back) to Asia”. The first goal might fail, however, but the second likely won’t.

In April 2023, many foreign observers found themselves startled when senior diplomats from Iran and Saudi Arabia met at a China-brokered summit in Beijing—the first high-level meeting between both inveterate foes in several years. Beijing appeared to demonstrate a new diplomatic prowess—an active willingness to mediate tensions in one of the most geopolitically challenging and conflict-ridden portions of the globe.

Established In: 2015;

Key Members: Hafiz Saeed Khan, Shahab al-Muhajir;

Operational Area: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India;

Size: 1,000 (US estimate); 2,500-4,000 (UN report); 10,000 (Russian estimate);

Involved In: Bomb Attacks, Assasinations, Armed Attacks, Kidnapping;

Established In: 1994;

Established By: Mohammed Omar;

Also Known As: Taleban;

Country Of Origin: Afghanistan;