Reply #9: This part certainly begs the question, WTF are we doing there? [View All]

[54anickel]

A spokesman for the 13,500 US troops in Afghanistan said in February: “There’s apparently no more than 50 people who are associated with terrorism and violence. Many Taleban were not criminals ... and we invite them today to join the peace process.”

Since the collapse of the five-year Taleban regime in late 2001, several extremists have been reintegrated into the ranks of local administrations.

In the southern and southeastern provinces, many administrative officials and district chiefs maintain contact and negotiate daily with Taleban members.

At the national level, Afghan and US authorities officially deny any contact with Taleban leadership, admitting only to having been approached “at individual level” by former Taleban officials offering to help re-establish peace and stability.