World

Britain and US prepared to open talks with the Taliban

by Babel-Fish | July 27, 2009 at 06:30 pm

235 views | 7 Recommendations | 5 comments

A concerted effort to start unprecedented talks between Taliban and British and American envoys was outlined yesterday in a significant change in tactics designed to bring about a breakthrough in the attritional, eight-year conflict in Afghanistan.

Senior ministers and commanders on the ground believe they have created the right conditions to open up a dialogue with "second-tier" local leaders now the Taliban have been forced back in a swath of Helmand province.

They are hoping that Britain's continuing military presence in Helmand, strengthened by the arrival of thousands of US troops, will encourage Taliban commanders to end the insurgency. There is even talk in London and Washington of a military "exit strategy".

This is because of the fact the terain where the NATO forces are presently fighting gets even worst as one gets nearer to the border of Pakistan it is effectivly a good place for defence for hill tridesmen and the Taliban are going to be hard targets to winkle out. The soldiers attacking the Taliban will have a high casualty rate, even helicopters will not give an advantange and armoured support would be slowed down by the terain.

In a way I see this as defeatism, but can understand the leaders need to seek a easier route to solve a very complex military problem. Its not a new one the Russians had a similar problem and all and sundry that have tried to occupy Afghanistan have had to give up in defeat.

The problem is will the Taliban want to talk and how stong minde and strong willed are they to their cause. Its very hard to make headway with a fundlementalist orgainisation and if you do there is always chance of a time bomb waiting to explode in the future. Lets say after Afghanistan is handed back to the Afghanistan people. It may solve the occupiying forces problem but not the problem of mantaining the peace in Afghanistan.

2 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

158

at 18:43 on July 27th, 2009

Talking never hurts.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 20:04 on July 27th, 2009

I agree with talks, but they should been between President Karzai and the Taliban, not the U.S or Great Britain. The end result is that the central government in Kabul has to work out a way to govern with the Taliban.

J2B (not verified)

at 22:39 on July 27th, 2009

I think what the British Foreign Secretary said was, he thought it was a good point to talk to some sections of the more moderate Taliban and get them involved in local politics. I don't think he meant the one's making the road side bombs etc...

Genapudin (not verified)

at 01:23 on July 28th, 2009

Захватывающе. Зачет! и ниипет!

Babel-Fish

at 06:35 on July 28th, 2009

Hey those that understand the graphics please do not crucify me for not being able to translate these very intriguing graphics they are just not in my copy of Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy However it does look a little like an very ancient Vogans tongue that uses numbers backwards and is written just like a cross word puzzle. Talking about puzzles, yes well, it is rather puzzling but I fear it may of said "We have the Pakistan nukes so watch out" however maybe it said "Hey does any one speak this language as I want to know what the language is called?"

Or perhaps the earth computer has finally come up with the answer it asked by the great Gena Pudin Wong (A great Vogan explorer some 50,000 give or take a few thousand years ago) ? The answer given by Wong was "God is confused"