Meanwhile, in Afghanistan

With the Islamic State dominating headlines in 2015, Afghanistan went back to being America’s forgotten war. That made it easier to ignore the fact that the Taliban now control more territory than at any time since 2001.

With U.S. and NATO troops ending their combat mission in the country, the Taliban are attacking Afghanistan’s security personnel on multiple fronts. And while the U.S.-trained Afghan troops are in many areas fighting harder than in Iraq, the result has nevertheless been a string of defeats and steady militant gains.

[...]

The group’s recent gains prompted the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Gen. John Campbell, to consider asking for yet another extension to the American mission. The current plan is to draw down to about 5,500 troops by the end of 2016, but Campbell wants to keep as many of the 9,800 U.S. troops currently deployed for as long as possible.

[...]

Local politics are fluid, and government forces, backed by U.S. airpower, have shown an ability to hit back hard. That makes one thing clear: The year ahead will be another bloody one in a country all too accustomed to war.

  Foreign Policy

Taliban?  What's that?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.