Community | October 06, 2010 | 13 comments

Taliban in high-level talks with Karzai government, sources say

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Breaking news from The Washington Post via Huffington Post;

By Karen DeYoung, Peter Finn and Craig Whitlock, Wednesday, October 6, 2010; 10:36 AM

Taliban representatives and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai have begun secret, high-level talks over a negotiated end to the war, according to Afghan and Arab sources.

The talks follow inconclusive meetings, hosted by Saudi Arabia, that ended more than a year ago. While emphasizing the preliminary nature of the current discussions, the sources said that for the first time they believe that Taliban representatives are fully authorized to speak for the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban organization based in Pakistan, and its leader, Mohammad Omar.

"They are very, very serious about finding a way out," one source close to the talks said of the Taliban.

Although Omar's representatives have long publicly insisted that negotiations were impossible until all foreign troops withdraw, a position seemingly buoyed by the Taliban's resilience on the battlefield, sources said the Quetta Shura has begun to talk about a comprehensive agreement that would include participation of some Taliban figures in the government and the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops on an agreed timeline.

The leadership knows "that they are going to be sidelined," the source said. "They know that more radical elements are being promoted within their rank and file outside their control. . . . All these things are making them absolutely sure that, regardless of [their success in] the war, they are not in a winning position."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/05/AR2010100506249....
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13 comments // Taliban in high-level talks with Karzai government, sources say

  • UtopianSky
    • +1
      UtopianSky  

    • So the Taliban will be included as a radical fringe element of the Afghan government? Hopefully, they will just make a lot of fuss, but have no real power?

      The Taliban will be to Afghanistan what the Teabaggers are to the US?

    • 1 year ago
  • thedirtman
    • +1
      thedirtman  

    • Decide the goal for activity in Afghanistan and define success around that goal. The goal has been changing ever since operations began. Specifically, decide what needs to be done with the Taliban. Is the goal sustainable peace? Unconditional surrender? Eviction? Annihilation? Recognize that there will be problems no matter which goal is chosen.

      The original goal was to take out Al Queda. In the beginning the Taliban was considering turning them over.

    • 1 year ago
  • Saladin
    • +1
      Saladin  

    • As with most issues on Afghanistan, I'm split on this.

      On the one hand, diplomacy in the midst of war is typically a sign of weakness or fatigue. Typically that means to step up your effort in hopes of a surrender.

      On the other hand, they're not losing and we're not winning any time soon. We might not want to let the opportunity pass by since apparently no matter how this war ends, the people of Afghanistan lose.

    • 1 year ago
  • carslut
    • 0
      carslut  

    • They are lying to buy time. We should really lay it on them heavy NOW. There is a term in the Islamic religion. It's called "TAQIYYA". It allows muslims to lie to non-muslims if it advances the religion of Islam. In other words it promotes lying to your enemy. I believe that is what we are seeing here. We've got them on their heals now. Let's finish the job.

    • 1 year ago
  • thedirtman
    • +1
      thedirtman  
    • carslut:

      The problem with determining a solution around religion is that religion is nothing but bunk for the mindless. Bright leaders are capable of doing anything inside or outside a religion. They are not going to let themselves be constrained around the laws of a book written thousands of years ago. Consider this. If America couldn't negotiate peace with the Muslims then peace could be negotiated with an intermediary.

      If leaders want to "lay it on" I don't care. But religion is irrelevant. It's an obstacle that will keep us from achieving goals.

    • 1 year ago
  • carslut
    • +1
      carslut  
    • thedirtman:

      I DO think that religion is irrelevant to us. But it is everything to them. When you live in a fourth world shit hole and have nothing but your faith, that intangible thing becomes a pretty powerful tool for control. It's too bad that those people are so uneducated. As we all know, ignorant people are easier to control. Look at the Islamic population as a whole. Not alot of Einstein's coming out of that part of the world.

    • 1 year ago
  • thedirtman
    • +1
      thedirtman  
    • carslut:

      Some people will judge you according to their own beliefs, usually the dimmer bulbs. The brighter people will judge you according to your beliefs about them. Afghanistan does have some dimmer bulbs. Maybe this is the teacher in me, but I know it helps if you give them some room for hope.

    • 1 year ago
  • carslut
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