Afghanistan was barely mentioned in last year’s election. But while U.S. attention has turned from the Taliban to the Islamic State, the Taliban are back, stronger than ever, and the government is on the brink of collapse. Guests: Mujib Mashal, our senior correspondent in Afghanistan; Helene Cooper, who covers the Pentagon. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. For the next two weeks, we’re offering listeners a free trial of a New York Times digital subscription. Visit nytimes.com/dailytrial to sign up.

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