Hamid Karzai: US 'in peace talks with Taliban'

[Babur]

I am skeptical that much will come of this, since the Taliban and their benefactors know that the US will begin withdrawing soon anyway.Despite this the ANA will probably require continued support from the US to stop a resurgent Taliban from repeating their victory in 1996 where they seized Kabul.Also Pakistan needs to tackle terrorists on their own soil since it would be beneficial to both Pakistanis and Afghans.

Afghanistan's Karzai: US 'in peace talks with Taliban'



President Karzai's comments came hours before an attack on a police station
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Taliban Conflict

The US is engaged in talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said, in the first high-level confirmation of US involvement.

Mr Karzai said that "foreign military and especially the US itself" were involved in peace talks with the group.

Hours later, suicide bombers attacked a Kabul police station, killing nine.

Earlier this month, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said there could be political talks with the Taliban by the end of this year.

The US is due to start withdrawing its 97,000 troops from Afghanistan in July.

It aims to gradually hand over all security operations to Afghan security forces by 2014.

Summer of fighting
"In the course of this year, there have been peace talks with the Taliban and our own countrymen," Mr Karzai told a Kabul news conference on Saturday.

"Peace talks have started with them already and it is going well. Foreign militaries, especially the United States of America, are going ahead with these negotiations."

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Analysis


Paul Wood
Kabul
The heart of Kabul was a battleground.

Suicide bombers attacked a police station just half a mile from the presidential compound where, hours earlier, President Karzai was talking about hopes for peace.

Talks with the Taliban have started. These though are just contacts, talks about talks, rather than substantive negotiations.

Quick results are unlikely. Nato, the Afghan government and the Taliban themselves all expect another summer of hard fighting and probably many more.

If President Karzai is right though, it appears that one important thing has changed - the Taliban have always maintained that they would not negotiate until foreign troops left. It seems that position is starting to soften.

He gave no details as to whether the discussions involved Taliban officials with US authorities, or a go-between.

Shortly after the announcement, a number of suicide bombers attacked a police station near the finance ministry in the Afghan capital. The interior ministry said there were three bombers, but other officials said there were four.

The Taliban said they carried out the attack.

The Afghan interior ministry said nine people were killed: five civilians, three police officers and one intelligence official. Twelve people - 10 civilians and two police - were also injured. The attack has now ended.

''A group of suicide attackers got inside police district one," Mohammad Ayub Salangi, Kabul's police chief, told the BBC. "We surrounded the area.''

One of the bombers detonated his suicide vest, while two others were shot dead by police. Some reports said a fourth bomber was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces.

The BBC's Paul Wood in Kabul says the attack is part of the Taliban strategy to strike at the heart of government.

Paradoxically, he says, the greater the likelihood of peace talks, the more Nato and the Taliban will press their military campaigns in a bid to ensure they go into negotiations with an advantage.

Meanwhile, insurgents attacked two convoys supplying Nato troops in the eastern province of Ghazni, police said. Four Afghan security guards escorting the trucks were reportedly killed by roadside bombs.

Sanctions list split
The Taliban's official position regarding peace talks is that it will only negotiate once international forces leave Afghanistan, and that it will only talk to the Afghan government.



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Col Richard Kemp: "There is no prospect for successful peace talks with the Taliban"
Diplomats have previously spoken of preliminary talks being held by both sides in the continuing conflict.

The US has yet to comment on Mr Karzai's statement.

The UK said it supported "Afghan-led efforts to reconcile and reintegrate members of the insurgency who are prepared to renounce violence, cut links with terrorist groups, and accept the constitution".

"In view of the death of Osama Bin Laden, it is time for the Taliban/insurgency to positively engage in the political process," said a statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said there was currently no prospect for successful peace talks with Taliban.

"The only possibility that could happen is if they as a movement are defeated and there's no prospect of that happening in the near future."

He said the objective of international forces in Afghanistan should be to encourage malleable elements of the Taliban to split away from the hard-core leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar, thereby weakening the group.

On Friday, the UN split a sanctions blacklist for the Taliban and al-Qaeda, to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts.

Before now, both organisations have been handled by the same UN sanctions committee.

The UN Security Council said it was sending a signal to the Taliban that now is the time to join the political process.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan before being driven from power by US-backed forces in 2001.

It had sheltered al-Qaeda and its leader, Bin Laden.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13821452

[Rome101]

What happened to the "no negotiating with terrorists" policy?

[Armenum]

I though US didn't negotiate with terrorists?

[Imperial]

What happened to the "no negotiating with terrorists" policy?

I though US didn't negotiate with terrorists?

Taliban isn't a terrorist organization according to the state department.

http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/10/st...-organization/

[Babur]

Even if there is a peace settlement, it won't last I am sure the Taliban would want to repeat the successes they enjoyed in 1996.

[a tw player]

Negotiation here is the only long-term sustainable option for peace. Sure, the ANA may eventually be large enough to stop a coherent Taliban formation again (assuming the serious Taliban infiltration and corruption is rooted out), yet these tactics don't stop the gradual trickle of lives lost.

The only problem with this is that, even if a peace settlement is eventually made, the Taliban aren't exactly a unified force and there will still be elements that remain militant.

[Eofor]

Good work there guys. Could be the end of war in Afghanistan.
In before someone cries that the lefties are pussies.

[Katsumoto]

Not if they've been beaten to the point where they can't extend that influence anymore. The Taliban known they can't actually outright defeat NATO/ISAF and its allies. The ANA and police also grow stronger daily. Perhaps they'll see sense and realise that maybe it's better to negotiate now while they still hold some power, perhaps for positions in government and what have you, instead of negotiating six months or a year from now when they're on the verge of utter defeat.

[Babur]

Not if they've been beaten to the point where they can't extend that influence anymore. The Taliban known they can't actually outright defeat NATO/ISAF and its allies.

They're hardly beaten though, they can always regroup in Pakistan and the ISI are more than willing to support them

The ANA and police also grow stronger daily. Perhaps they'll see sense and realise that maybe it's better to negotiate now while they still hold some power, perhaps for positions in government and what have you, instead of negotiating six months or a year from now when they're on the verge of utter defeat.

I am skeptical about that, not long after Karzai made these comments there was an attack

And what about warlords? they're still around and crucial to ensuring that the Taliban don't win again.

[Imperial]

I am skeptical about that, not long after Karzai made these comments there was an attack

There was a suicide attack. Three or four wackos in a exploding rental car doesn't really gauge how much influence the Taliban have. If it was a large offensive with hundreds of Taliban then that would be something of concern, bit that was not the case.

[Babur]

There was a suicide attack. Three or four wackos in a exploding rental car doesn't really gauge how much influence the Taliban have. If it was a large offensive with hundreds of Taliban then that would be something of concern, bit that was not the case.

But still, I think it would be premature to say that the Taliban can be negotiated with now.As long as they have continued support from the ISI, I strongly doubt they will be beaten just yet.

[mrmouth]

The US does not negotiate with terrorists in hostage situations. But as noted, the taliban is not a terrorist organization. Just an ass backwards ultra conservative militia group.

As in most cases like this, the forcing out of the old guard by the younger, more radical element has left the old guard wanting to come back to power, and that is almost surely where the negotiations are taking place. Bring them into the political fold, run legitimately, and let the Afghan people choose their own fate.

And we have negotiated in the past with these old guard Taliban. They continue to fight the some Pakistani Taliban on their own turf while we support them.

UK media rolls out stories like this as if anything has changed (albeit slightly different because Karzai is flapping his gums). And the comments on the site are of course amazing.

The US is due to start withdrawing its 97,000 troops from Afghanistan in July.

Nope.

[(s)AINT]

Leave that hole of a country.

We can support the Pro-democracy fighters and friends without having troops.

If not that - the only troops should be over there are special forces units and CIA cells.

THATS IT!

[Katsumoto]

As has been mentioned, there are various factions within the Taliban. Some can be negotiated with, others cannot.

[Babur]

As has been mentioned, there are various factions within the Taliban. Some can be negotiated with, others cannot.

And what to do with those factions which can't be negotiated with? Mohammed Omar is not even in Afghanistan for a start...

[Katsumoto]

The same thing we've been doing for the last ten years. Neither was Osama.

[Babur]

The same thing we've been doing for the last ten years. Neither was Osama.

In that case though, the continual of drone strikes are a necessity then as well as the maintaining of bases on Afghan soil for similar operations to be carried out against suspected Taliban or Al Qaeda targets across the Durand line

[MathiasOfAthens]

Its really the only way. Obviously the best solution involves giving the Taliban as little as possible.

[cardnals100]

Maybe the Taliban are trying to convince the US they're going to back down and then once the US leaves move in and take Kabul? I don't know, not sure what to think of this.

[MathiasOfAthens]

I have no doubt they will restart the war once the US leaves.