May 20, 2021 KAJAKI DAM, AFGHANISTAN (AFP) – In the heart of territory under siege from the Taleban, one of Afghanistan’s most important hydroelectric dams is at the centre of a power struggle that symbolises the battle between the government and insurgents. Kajaki Dam, which provides power to more than three million people in the south – including the cities of Kandahar and Lashkar Gah – is controlled by government forces. But an extraordinary compromise sees authorities effectively allow the insurgents surrounding it to charge locals for energy. This kind of compromise could become more common as United States (US) forces withdraw, leaving local government officials and Taleban commanders to find ways to grudgingly live with the status quo even as their leaders fail to agree on terms.