Editor's Pick: The Taliban are back

The Taliban poured into Kabul on Sunday bringing to a swift end the 20-year American era in Afghanistan. The embattled Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country and announced that the Taliban have won. Earlier, the Taliban captured Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif, two of Afghanistan's most important cities. As they advanced towards Kabul, the U.S. raced to evacuate diplomats and civilians in helicopters. Although many commentators said the sights of the evacuation at the Embassy were similar to scenes during the Vietnam War, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected such comparisons and added that the U.S.'s mission in the country has been "successful". Panic and chaos reigned in Kabul as Afghans rushed to banks to withdraw their savings and thronged the airport in a bid to escape a brutal rule of the Taliban. Several women, journalists, filmmakers and human rights activists in Afghanistan have expressed deep disappointment, fear and anger at the developments. The UN Refugee Agency had earlier warned that Afghanistan could become a haven for terrorists and the events could unleash a humanitarian disaster and result in a new refugee crisis. The Taliban trooped into the presidential palace and discussed the transfer of power, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council said. A Taliban spokesperson said that the group was aiming to form an "open, inclusive Islamic government". Soon after President Joe Biden's announcement that the U.S. will be withdrawing its troops, the Taliban advanced through the rural areas and then the cities at breakneck speed. Their capture of power has brought to an end the failed experiment of the U.S. which invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to flush out al Qaeda, which was backed by the Taliban. While it initially succeeded in toppling the Taliban regime, the insurgents quickly regrouped and became stronger. Talks under various U.S. administrations to establish peace in Afghanistan failed. The 2020 Doha Agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban, which left out the Afghan government, legitimised the group. The Taliban's capture of power has grave implications for the neighbourhood, especially for India which worries that the Taliban's close relations with Pakistan could impose serious security challenges. The developments, many fear, could threaten the freedoms and rights that the Afghans have won over the years. For all these reasons, this story is the top pick of the day. The Hindu's Editorials Memories: On remembering Partition Black and white: On the White Paper on Tamil Nadu’s finances Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz When was Indian Standard Time officially introduced? 1. August 15, 1947 2. September 1, 1947 3. January 26, 1950 4. January 30, 1932 To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 16 AUGUST 2021 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( The Taliban are back [The Taliban are back] The Taliban poured into Kabul on Sunday bringing to a swift end the 20-year American era in Afghanistan. The embattled Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country and [announced that the Taliban have won](. Earlier, the Taliban captured Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif, two of Afghanistan's most important cities. As they advanced towards Kabul, the U.S. raced to evacuate diplomats and civilians in helicopters. Although many commentators said the sights of the evacuation at the Embassy were similar to scenes during the Vietnam War, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected such comparisons and [added that the U.S.'s mission in the country has been "successful"](. Panic and chaos reigned in Kabul as Afghans rushed to banks to withdraw their savings and thronged the airport in a bid to escape a [brutal rule of the Taliban](. Several women, journalists, filmmakers and human rights activists in Afghanistan have expressed deep disappointment, fear and anger at the developments. The UN Refugee Agency had earlier warned that Afghanistan could become a haven for terrorists and the events could unleash a humanitarian disaster and result in a new refugee crisis. The Taliban[trooped into the presidential palace and discussed the transfer of power]( the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation Council said. A Taliban spokesperson said that the group was aiming to form an "open, inclusive Islamic government". Soon after President Joe Biden's announcement that the U.S. will be withdrawing its troops, the Taliban advanced through the [rural areas and then the cities at breakneck speed](. Their capture of power has brought to an end the failed experiment of the U.S. which invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to flush out al Qaeda, which was backed by the Taliban. While it initially succeeded in toppling the Taliban regime, the insurgents quickly regrouped and became stronger. Talks under various U.S. administrations to establish peace in Afghanistan failed. The 2020 Doha Agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban, which left out the Afghan government, [legitimised the group]( The Taliban's capture of power has grave implications for the neighbourhood, especially for India which worries that the Taliban's close relations with Pakistan could impose serious security challenges. The developments, many fear, could threaten the freedoms and rights that the Afghans have won over the years. For all these reasons, this story is the top pick of the day.   The Hindu's Editorials [Arrow][Memories: On remembering Partition]( [Arrow][Black and white: On the White Paper on Tamil Nadu’s finances]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( [underlineimg] Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz When was Indian Standard Time officially introduced? 1. August 15, 1947 2. September 1, 1947 3. January 26, 1950 4. 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