Afghanistan stands on the brink of renewed chaos after a week of fresh fighting, following US troops staying past the May 1st exit deadline that had previously been agreed to under a Trump administration-Taliban deal inked in February 2020. Biden earlier announced an extension as well as a full and final planned withdrawal by Sept.11, which Taliban leaders have blasted as a serious breach of hard-fought terms, leading to threats of making things a "nightmare" for remaining Americans. So far this past week has seen fierce clashes between Taliban and national Afghan forces mainly in remote provinces, resulting in dozens killed on both sides.

But on Saturday suspected Sunni terrorist groups (whether Islamic State or the Taliban or others) carried out a string of bombings targeting the country's Shia minority. The Wall Street Journal details that "Militants killed at least 25 people in three explosions targeting girls outside a school in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood in Kabul, officials said, in an attack that could exacerbate sectarian tensions ahead of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan."

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