There was no other way to end the political logjam in conflict-ridden Afghanistan than to make current President Ashraf Ghani and the outgoing Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah agree to share power. Only an ascendant Afghan Taliban stood to benefit from the continued political impasse and the resulting weakening of government institutions.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani launched a process on May 24 to release up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners after welcoming an offer by the militants of a three-day cease-fire to mark Eid al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

A Taliban attack on an Afghan army compound in Gardez city of Paktia province Thursday morning killed at least five civilians and wounded dozens more, including five people from the military.

The United States on Thursday blamed Islamic State militants — not the Taliban — for a gruesome hospital attack in Afghanistan this week that killed two newborn babies, and it renewed calls for Afghans to embrace a troubled peace push with the Taliban insurgency.

Bottom Line Up Front: Devastating terrorist attacks in Afghanistan earlier this week shocked the country, including an attack on a maternity ward in Kabul and another at a funeral procession in Nangahar.

At least 27 Afghan soldiers were killed and nine more remain missing following a Taliban attack on an Afghan National Army outpost in the eastern province of Laghman on May 10.

The family of an American kidnapped in Afghanistan weeks before the U.S. and the Taliban signed a peace deal in late February is voicing fears that he will be left behind as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its implementation of an agreement to end the 18-year war.

Four roadside bombs detonated in less than 90 minutes Monday in a northern district of Afghanistan’s capital, wounding four civilians including a child, police said.

The Taliban said Friday it has conveyed to the United States the insurgent group is not holding an American hostage missing in Afghanistan.

Another influential family was split by the war when a retired province police chief defected to the insurgency. His son remains deputy governor. As a onetime police chief of the restive province of Farah in western Afghanistan, Gen. Abdul Jalil Bakhtawar was a dogged enemy of the Taliban.