Visit to a Lost CIA Base in Afghanistan

Shkin allowed CIA to monitor al-Qaeda fighters on both sides of the Af-Pak border. Now the Taliban has it and jihadis are back.

The turbaned Taliban gather in front of the entrance to the deserted barracks. They fish their smartphones out of their vest pockets, switch on their flashlights, and illuminate the ghostly darkness inside. There are no windows in the corridor, nor the small, neat rooms to the left and right. If it weren’t for the nice office chairs and the comfortable …