How a covert relationship with the Taliban backfired for US ally Pakistan
About two weeks after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in 2021, the then head of Pakistan’s spy agency arrived at one of Kabul’s plushest hotels, smiling, sipping tea and appearing at ease with the militants’ return to power.
Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed of Inter-Services Intelligence had reason to believe Pakistan was about to reap the rewards of clandestinely supporting the Taliban in their…