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Jane Ferguson:

In reality, even with the limited U.S. air and ground support they currently have, the Taliban is stronger than it has ever been in this two-decades-long war. They continue to bolster their positions around cities. Reassuring the local population that these soldiers are in control is increasingly tough to do.

As the Taliban strengthen their stranglehold on major urban centers in Afghanistan, trying to keep these major roads open is a challenge for the Afghan forces. Trying to secure the capital, even more important.

The February 2020 deal President Trump's administration signed with the Taliban says all foreign forces will leave Afghanistan by May 1st. In return, the group were to promise to prevent Afghanistan becoming a staging ground for terror groups attacking the U.S., and engage in peace negotiations with the Afghan government.

Those peace talks have stalled, and as the deadline to leave looms, violence rages across the country.

The new Biden White House, inheriting both the deal and its deadline, has hinted at delaying that exit date.

At an annual summit of defense ministers this week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the NewsHour they haven't given the Taliban a free ride.

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Afghan troops face as deadline to withdraw U.S. troops looms - PBS NewsHour