Nearly two decades after US invasion, Afghans fear Taliban return

KABUL: Almost two decades after the United States launched what would become its longest-ever war with air strikes on Afghanistan's ruling regime, the hardline group are in a stronger position than ever. The invasion on October 7, 2001 quickly toppled the militants, who had harboured Al-Qaeda, the group behind the that killed nearly 3,000 people in America just weeks earlier. Nineteen years after their brutal Islamist regime collapsed, the Taliban are pushing for a return to power, having signed a landmark troop withdrawal deal with Washington in February and currently holding peace talks with the Afghan government. Fearful that the Taliban...