Very significant new reporting from the @washingtonpost https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1381992997328461826
According to a @CTCWP Sentinel net assessment by @JJSchroden "the Taliban would have a slight military advantage [over Afghan security forces] if the United States withdraws the remainder of its troops from Afghanistan, which would then likely grow in a compounding fashion."
"While the Taliban have softened their rhetoric on some issues ... & there is evidence of real policy change in certain areas ... their policy adjustments appear to have been largely driven by political imperatives rather than any fundamental changes in ideology," says @thruttig
Given the Taliban's "continued domineering behavior, intolerance of political dissent & oppression (especially toward girls & women) in the areas they control, there is legitimate concern ... they might revert to pre-fall 2001 practices" writes @thruttig
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