Taliban comeback 

These are the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:

Taliban comeback 

Taliban militants in Afghanistan have recently made strategic military gains nationwide. Recently-released US military data confirms reports that the Taliban are making a comeback. The increase in Taliban-controlled parts of Afghanistan has been incremental over the past year, but it’s alarmed observers. It has mounted pressure on the United States which now seems totally entangled in its longest war ever. The US, under President Donald Trump has deployed thousands of more forces to the war. The US military has intensified it airstrikes against Taliban positions over the past months, but the militants are proving resilient. They have stepped up deadly attacks against military and civilian targets nationwide. US generals insist the surge in militant attacks especially against civilian targets is due to Taliban setbacks and desperation. But the argument is rejected by many analysts and those who follow developments on the ground in Afghanistan.

Tillerson in Lebanon

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday as part of his five-nation tour to the Middle East. While in Beirut, he said the role of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in the country’s political structure needed to be acknowledged. This was seen by many as a rare admission of Hezbollah’s powerful political presence by America’s top diplomat. And it to the same effect contradicted Washington’s previous positions that included designating the group as a terrorist organization.  Earlier this month, the administration of US President Donald Trump hit six people and seven businesses linked to Hezbollah with sanctions. Trump’s administration called the move the first wave in a pressure campaign against the group which it said would escalate throughout the year.

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