ISLAMABAD -- Al-Qaida militants and allied transnational groups are aiding the Taliban's rapid advance in Afghanistan, ratcheting up the pressure on the Kabul government.
Under a U.S.-Taliban deal reached in February last year in Doha, all international coalition forces were to leave Afghanistan by this May in exchange for security guarantees from the Taliban, including cutting ties with al-Qaida and its allies, and pledging not to harbor foreign terrorists.
