Hope of a peaceful accord with the Taliban predators in Afghanistan has dashed to the ground. Direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban have been put on ice since the death of the movement’s founder and long-time leader Mullah Mahommed Omar about two years ago. The present leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor had laid down some preconditions for Taliban participation in talks. So far there had been indications that a moderate wing in the rebel body was not totally against holding out the olive branch. A quadrilateral coordination group consisting of representatives of four countries had stated that talks between Kabul and the Taliban would begin this month. But the Taliban, called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has categorically negatived such a possibility. It says that a residual US military presence is still on Afghan soil and US air strikes are still continuing. The Taliban would not go to a conference table unless the US presence is totally eliminated.
The US is in a catch-22 situation.The Taliban are taking advantage of it. With the Presidential election looming over Washington, President Barack Obama would not like to press for US military intervention in Afghanistan. The US voters do not like it. At the same time, he cannot leave Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the lurch. Ghani may want peace in the country but knows his army with its limited financial resources cannot take on the Taliban. Obama just noting Ghani’s role in advancing the reconciliation process with the Taliban in the circumstances is not likely to enthuse Kabul.