NBC: US, Taliban in secret “indirect” talks to end war

Is America's longest war heading to a quiet end? NBC News reported earlier today that Taliban sources claim to have engaged in "indirect negotiations" with the US, primarily through former commanders forced out of the conflict. The talks are fraught with risks, particularly from some surprising sources: U.S. officials are meeting with former Taliban members amid intensifying efforts to wind down America's longest war, three of the militant group's commanders told NBC News.

As security threats rise, Trump faces uphill battle in Afghanistan

New members of the Afghan Special forces march during their graduation ceremony at the Afghan Corp, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. More than three 3.7 million Afghans, about 11 percent of the population, now live in areas under the control or influence of the Taliban and other armed groups, a new report by the top U.S. watchdog in Afghanistan has found.