White House Seeking Talks With the Taliban

[Swordsmyth]

In a shift from the previous approach of supporting Afghan-led diplomacy, the White House has directed U.S. diplomats to seek talks with the Taliban, The New York Times reported July 15.

The Taliban have long wanted to hold talks with the United States because they believe it will bolster their legitimacy, so proposed negotiations toward peace between the United States and the Taliban could actually occur.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...-talks-taliban

[timosman]

Inb4 someone declares the end of the world will be happening.

[Swordsmyth]

Rand needs to remind DJTvsg that they have asked for him to lead any such talks.

[oyarde]

I will accept the taliban surrender

[Swordsmyth]

I will accept the taliban surrender

Rand should take you along for the talks.

[timosman]

Rand should take you along for the talks.

I think they would prefer Bolton.

[FvS]

Please, let it be so. I just hope he isn't seeking to withdraw from Afghanistan and Syria just to attack Iran.

[Swordsmyth]

On Sunday, Reuters had this report on the latest surprising developments:

A meeting between a senior U.S. diplomat and Taliban representatives in Doha last week to discuss a possible ceasefire ended with “very positive signals” and a decision to hold more meetings, people with knowledge of the talks said on Sunday.
The meeting between a delegation led by Alice Wells, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and Taliban representatives was first reported in The Wall Street Journal but has not been officially confirmed.
According to one Taliban official, who said he was part of a four-member delegation, there were “very positive signals” from the meeting, which he said was conducted in a “friendly atmosphere” in a Doha hotel.

Could we be witnessing the very beginning stages of a negotiated face-saving exit from this nearly two decade long American quagmire in central Asia?




More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...-peace-taliban

[kpitcher]

Thousands of soldiers dead, billions lost, opium production + profits for Taliban higher now than pre-war...."Mission Accomplished"

If only this would sway us to never do this again yet of course it won't.

[shakey1]

Had we not invaded Iraq, we might well have been long out of Afghanistan by now.