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Afghanistan Regains Its Crown as Terror Central  (Lynne O’Donnell, Foreign Policy)
Violence is intensifying in Afghanistan eight months after the United States’ retreat allowed the Taliban to return to power, fueling concerns that the country may again become a hub of instability and terrorism across South and Central Asia and beyond. Afghanistan has long been a base for militants with ambitions for global jihad. Dozens of groups that have been present since the Taliban’s last turn in power from 1996 to 2001 are again operational, looking for opportunities to expand their reach, said security, diplomatic, and military sources. Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Lashkar-e-Taiba are the most prominent of about 20 militant groups identified by the United States and the United Nations as having an armed presence in Afghanistan throughout the 20 years of its republic.

How a Coup in Burkina Faso Could Damage the US War on Terror  (Michael Anthony Adams, Vice)
The soldiers stood at attention in the cool of the morning, wearing mismatched uniforms and rifles slung across their chests. A dingy smog hung in the air—a mix of exhaust from the bullet-pockmarked Land Cruisers idling behind them and orange dust of the earth. These were young men, yet their eyes belied their youth. They looked tired. For nearly a decade, the Army of Burkina Faso has waged a violent war against extremists linked with al Qaeda and ISIS. The country’s military leaders recently gave VICE World News rare access to embed with their troops on the front lines of their fight. It was one of the first times in years that Western journalists had been allowed to see Burkinabè forces in action, an invitation made even more rare by the fact that, less than two months before, they’d overthrown the government in a coup d’etat. In January, a group of mutinous soldiers led by Burkinabè commander Lt-Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who was originally trained by United States soldiers, arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and claimed control of the country on national television. The takeover is only the latest in a string of at least 11 successful and failed coup attempts that have swept across West Africa since 2008.