U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani discussed details of a proposed agreement between the United States and the Taliban, even as the militant group continued attacks (AP) in the country over the weekend.
 
Khalilzad said that under the deal, which has been agreed to in principle, the United States would withdraw five thousand troops (TOLO) from Afghanistan within 135 days of signing it. Taliban attacks over the past three days targeted the cities (Al Jazeera) of Pul-e Khumri, Kunduz, and Kabul. A Taliban spokesperson said that while the group understands peace talks are ongoing, “they must also understand that we are not weak.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will discuss the deal (AFP) with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels today.

In an audio recording of a closed-door meeting (Reuters) with business leaders, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that Beijing is “willing to play long” in its efforts to quell pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, and that it has no plans to send in the army or end the protests before National Day celebrations on October 1. Lam said she will quit her position if she has the choice.
 
South China Sea: Military drills by the United States and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are underway this week (NYT), a first for the group. ASEAN held similar drills with China last year.
 
In Foreign Affairs, Odd Arne Westad discusses Beijing’s behavior amid new tensions with Washington.

Bangladeshi authorities ordered telecom operators to shut down mobile phone services (AFP) in Rohingya refugee camps, citing security grounds. Recent attempts to repatriate some Rohingya to Myanmar have failed as refugees have called for citizenship and safety assurances before returning.

An air strike by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen hit a detention center (WaPo) run by Houthi rebels, killing an estimated one hundred people, according to the Red Cross. The coalition said the strike had destroyed an ammunition warehouse.
 
Lebanon: Israel’s military fired across the Lebanese border after Hezbollah targeted an Israeli military base (VOA) on Sunday. The United Nations and U.S. State Department expressed concern about the recent escalation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, said the UN mission in the country will increase its capacity to combat militant groups (UN) and will boost cooperation with government forces. He called on donors who have pledged aid to help fight the Ebola outbreak to honor their commitments (UN).
 
This CFR InfoGuide traces decades of violence in Eastern Congo.
 
Burkina Faso: Two former officials under President Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in 2014, were handed ten- and twenty-year prison sentences (Reuters) for planning a failed coup in 2015.

In briefings from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office, the British leader threatened to call an election (Guardian) for October 14 if lawmakers proceed with a bill to prevent a no-deal Brexit. In a televised address, Johnson said there are “no circumstances” under which Britain will not leave the European Union by the scheduled deadline of October 31.
 
CFR examines what a no-deal Brexit would look like.
 
Germany: Support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party rose in Saxony and Brandenburg, where the party won the second-most votes (FT) in regional elections. It lost to the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democrats, respectively, both of which said they will not form a coalition with the AfD.

The former Guatemalan first lady, who took second place in June’s presidential election, was arrested on charges (Al Jazeera) of campaign finance crimes during her 2015 presidential bid. The UN-backed anticorruption commission that launched the investigation closes today.
 
Colombia: A mayoral candidate and five other people were killed in an attack (Reuters) in the country’s southwest that the government blamed on the remobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Life-threatening storms are expected on part of Florida’s eastern coast (CNN) later today as Dorian moves north. At least five people were reported dead in the Bahamas after the hurricane swept through the archipelago, with winds reaching more than 160 miles per hour.