Fall of Afghan jewel a harbinger of a return to dark times

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

50% : Situated at an ancient Silk Road crossroads near the border with what is now Iran, it is western Afghanistan's commercial capital, home to more than half a million people.
36% : But after a key ally went to the Taliban side, Khan and his fighters were forced to find sanctuary in Iran.
35% : As Herat came under Taliban siege weeks ago, the grizzled warlord, now 75, vowed to prevent it from being overrun -- although by then, the Taliban had already seized a key crossing between Iran and Afghanistan and appeared undeterred by airstrikes.

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