Four nations — Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States — ended talks Wednesday much as they began, seeking peace in Afghanistan but with no real progress on how to get there or how to bring the most powerful of the country's insurgent groups, the Taliban, to the negotiating table. – Associated Press
A fifth round of four-nation talks aimed at laying the ground for a negotiated end to the Afghan war began in Pakistan on Wednesday, as hopes faded for bringing the Taliban insurgents to the table quickly. - Reuters
Afghan security forces on Tuesday foiled a suicide bomber’s attempt to attack the Interior Ministry in Kabul with an explosives-filled car, officials said. – Stars and Stripes
FPI Visiting Scholar Mark Moyar writes: Reversing the tide in Afghanistan will require major changes in American strategy. To enable American troops to assist Afghan forces more effectively, the United States should increase U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan and relax restrictions on American participation in combat operations, as called for by the outgoing U.S. and NATO commander, Marine Corps General John Campbell. – Foreign Policy Initiative
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has defended his financial record and asked parliament to form a commission to investigate allegations stemming from the Panama Papers leak. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Bangladesh police have arrested an Islamist militant charged with the murder of a professor amid a surge in deadly attacks against liberal activists and other minorities in the South Asian nation, a senior officer said on Tuesday. - Reuters