They're Baaack: Taliban fighters are gaining confidence--and territory.(Photo by Moslihh via his Flickr page). Image from About.com Middle East issues.Thought Of Taleban Deal Alarms Jihadists -- BBC News
There is a growing fear among some hardline supporters of al-Qaeda that talk of an eventual peace deal between the Taleban and the Afghan government could lead one day to al-Qaeda losing its foothold in the region.
The Taleban's official spokesman Zahidullah Mujahid has denied reports of peace negotiations.
But Saudi officials say a meeting between representatives of the two sides did take place in Saudi Arabia this month, although there is no indication that any actual negotiations were conducted.
In the shadowy world of extremist internet forums, even talks about talks are enough to provoke alarm in some quarters.
Are the Taleban preparing to sell out their old allies, al-Qaeda, as the price for getting back into government?
Absolutely not, says the Taleban's official spokesman, but supporters of violent jihad on the internet are clearly rattled.
They see internal division, known as "fitna" in Arabic, as the greatest threat to the global jihadi project to drive western forces out of the wider Middle East and establish an Islamic state.
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My Comment: I can easily predict that in the next year or two there will be elements of the Taleban who will be looking to negotiate a truce or a permanent peace deal with NATO and the Afghan Government. All insurgencies in a conflict will reach a breaking point .... in Iraq the breaking point came when many Iraqis realized that American soldiers were there to not only stay and develop the country, but to also fight and eliminate the more extremist elements in Iraqi society.
For Afghanistan, one can easily see American and NATO forces aligning with more cooperative Afghan tribes, thereby putting pressure on other tribes to either join the coalition and Afghan Government .... or to join with the Taleban and to fight continuously against vastly superior forces.
I confess that this is a simple analysis .... there are many variables that can change the final outcome .... but I can guarantee that there will be an escalation in the Afghan war with the Taleban and their Al Qaeda allies putting all of their resources for victory. How NATO and our Afghan allies will respond to this onslaught will either hasten the eventual destruction of the Taleban and Al Qaeda, or they will be the ones who will be ruling the country within 5 - 7 years.