U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Danieto Bacchus radios back to base as he and his squad descend a mountain ridge during a dismounted patrol mission near Forward Operating Base Baylough, Zabul province, Afghanistan, March 19, 2009. Bacchus and fellow soldiers are assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Adam ManciniFrom The Washington Post:
Many Insurgents Seek Settlement; Others Fight On.
KABUL -- When voter registration stations opened in southern Afghanistan several months ago, officials feared they would be attacked by Taliban fighters who control much of the region. Instead, the process went smoothly and not a shot was fired. There were even reports of local Taliban members encouraging people to register and support them at the polls in August.
But when a Taliban commander in Wardak province accepted an offer of reconciliation last month from the government, which is trying to persuade "moderate Taliban" fighters to lay down their weapons and participate in the elections, he was shot dead three days later. Officials said the order to kill him came from Taliban authorities.
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My Comment: The Washington Post is "Waaaaayyyyyy" optimistic on the peace process in Afghanistan. The simple fact is that the Taliban believe that they are winning the war in Afghanistan, and that in the end NATO and American soldiers will leave the country.
There will always be a group within the Taliban who are fed up with the war, and they will always look for a way to get out. But unfortunately, there is also a very large group who are in the conflict for the long term .... which describes most of not all of the Taliban who are fighting now.