In the fall of 2017, during a private meeting on the Taliban’s nature and tactics in Kabul several years before they returned to power, a senior Iranian official shrewdly characterized the Taliban group as a “wild black horse” on the loose. He stressed to his Russian and Afghan counterparts that efforts to “whitewash a black horse” were futile. What really matters, he emphasized, is who tames and rides the wild black horse and in which direction it’s then led to gallop.
Adam Klasfeld is a Senior Legal Correspondent at The Messenger. He specializes in law and legal affairs, with a keen focus on litigation, security, and law enforcement, often covering high-profile topics such as Donald Trump, fraud, and corruption in New York. His work has been featured in prominent publications including Slate Magazine, Cigalah Group, and Just Security.