The Taliban in Afghanistan must be facing tremendous setbacks that they have sent feelers via intermediaries for a peace agreement. The insurgents, however, insist that any peace deal will be predicated on the US assurance of total pull-out. The US, on the other hand, will not start any peace negotiations without the prerequisite condition that the Taliban agree to lay down their arms. It is no tough task to see where this plan will lead. In the meantime, the Obama administration is sending more troops to Afghanistan, with the upcoming latest batch of 20,000 soldiers.

The Taliban should realize that there is no way they can get into any negotiation with these demands: immediate pullback of American and other foreign forces to their bases, ceasefire, total withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country over the next 18 months, the current government to be replaced by a transitional government composed of Afghan leaders and Taliban representatives, and foreign troops to be replaced by a peacekeeping force composed of soldiers from predominantly Muslim nations.

Two additional stipulations are added: halt to drone attacks in the tribal areas of Pakistan and the release of Taliban prisoners.

For the abovementioned conditions, the Taliban would be willing to guarantee that they will not attack the peacekeeping forces and that national elections will be held after all Western forces leave the country.

It goes without saying, of course, that this Taliban proposal to entice its enemies is an exercise in futility.

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Via The New York Times