and other areas of South Asia including India. In addition to recruits from the Taliban, the regional affiliate is thought to consist of militants from Arab countries, India, Russia's Chechnya, Bangladesh and radicalised Uighurs from western China.

Commenting on Daesh's acquisition of "key" Afghan terrain from which they can stockpile cash, weapons and equipment and "plan, train, stage, facilitate and expedite attacks," the intelligence official urged the US and its allies to commit to a more aggressive "counterterrorism" strategy in the country.

Earlier this month, the US envoy negotiating with the Taliban promised to hold fresh talks with the group in Doha, Qatar following a month-long lull. Despite continued fighting between Taliban forces and the Afghan government, the two sides have made efforts to sit down for negotiations to bringof the Brotherhood of Billy Goats", a parody of mystic secret societies. (There was also a "Sisterhood of Nanny Goats" for the ladies.) Their password was "O-K-M-N-X" which, deciphered, stood for a standard breakfast order ("Okay, ham and eggs"). Barney was elected "Exalted Angora" in 1928.

Snuffy Smith
In 1934, an even greater change took place when Barney and his horse visited the North Carolina mountains and met a volatile, equally diminutive moonshiner named Snuffy Smith. Hillbilly humor was extremely popular at the time (as Al Capp was proving with Li'l Abner ). The strip increasingly focused on the southern Appalachian hamlet of "Hootin' Holler", with Snuffy as the main character. The mountaineer locals are extremely suspicious of any outsiders, referred to as "flatlanders" or even worse, "revenooers" (Federal Revenue