The deal that set the stage for a Taliban victory

<p>Every&nbsp;Monday&nbsp;this August, we're looking back at some of the stories from the past year that have stuck with us.</p><p>With the Taliban now in control of Afghanistan, we return to the agreement between the US and the Taliban last February that sowed the seeds for what followed. Today we&nbsp;revisit a prescient May 2020 conversation with Times foreign correspondent&nbsp;Anthony Loyd, and our August 2020 interview with Afghanistan's recently deposed president.</p><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: </em><a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/subscribe/digital/?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=audio&amp;utm_campaign=podcastsubs&amp;utm_content=storiesofourtimes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes</em></a><em>. </em></p><p><strong>Guests:&nbsp;</strong></p><p>- Anthony Loyd, foreign correspondent, The Times.&nbsp;</p><p>- Ashraf Ghani, former president of Afghanistan, 2014-2021.</p><p><strong>Host:</strong> Manveen Rana.</p><p><strong>Clips: </strong>Channel 4 News, BBC, CNN.</p> &#10;&nbsp;<br /><hr><p style='color: grey; font - size: 0.75em; '>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>