The Taliban claimed it was behind (Reuters) the assassination of Dawa Khan Menapal, the Afghan government’s top media official, in Kabul. The group had warned (Al Jazeera) in previous days that it would target senior Afghan officials in response to increased air strikes.
This Backgrounder looks at the Taliban’s history and its recent advance in Afghanistan.
Turkmenistan: The leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are holding talks (Diplomat) in Turkmenistan to discuss regional security issues, a rare meeting of Central Asian nations unattended by an outside power.