Afghanistan government in peace talks with Taliban

October 7, 3:39 PMProgressive Politics ExaminerJay McDonough

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The other day I posted an update on the war in Afghanistan, now being characterized as "grim" by an unreleased National Intelligence Estimate.  Included in the post were comments by NATO commander, Gen. David McKiernan, suggesting a longer term solution may lie with some reconcilliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

General David McKiernan said reconciliation efforts should be led by the Afghan Government, but the military would support it. Asked if dealing with the man who harboured al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was beyond the pale, he said: "I think that's a political decision."

"Ultimately, the solution in Afghanistan is going to be a political solution not a military solution," he said. "We're not going to run out of bad guys there." 

New information suggests those moves are already occurring.  A recent NY Times article outlined Afghanistan President Karzai's call for the Saudis to become involved in peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.   Yesterday, there were reports that contact has occurred.

A former Taliban ambassador said Monday that the hard-line militants sat with Afghan officials and Saudi King Abdullah over an important religious meal in Saudi Arabia late last month as the insurgency raged back home.

Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban's former ambassador to Pakistan, denied that the get-together could be construed as peace talks. But President Hamid Karzai has long called for negotiations with the Taliban, and the meeting could spur future initiatives.

It's also being reported today that former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif is offering to broker talks, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, between the Taliban and the Karzai government. 

Presumably, any peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government, in order to be sanctioned by the U.S., must include a Taliban rebuke of al Qaeda.  CNN reported yesterday that too might be imminent..

According to the source, fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar -- high on the U.S. military's most-wanted list -- was not present, but his representatives were keen to stress the reclusive cleric is no longer allied to al Qaeda.

Details of the Taliban leader's split with al Qaeda have never been made public before, but the new claims confirm what another source with an intimate knowledge of the militia and Mullah Omar has told CNN in the past.

The conflict in Afghanistan appears to be changing form rapidly and may indicate some new pragmatism on the U.S. government's part.