The Taliban and the government of Afghan president Hamid Karzai have begun high-level talks to find a way to end the war. The talks are thought to be, for the first time, authorized by the leader of the Taliban, Mohammad Omar.
Previously Omar and other top Taliban figures have insisted that no peace talks were possible as long as there were still foreign fighters in Afghanistan. But now sources are saying that the leadership realizes that they are up against a wall and that they were entering negotiations to ensure that their positions were protected. In other words, the Taliban knows that they are not in a winning position.
The talks involve agreements which will allow the Taliban to hold leadership positions in the Afghan government and the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. However, it is thought that the talks are excluding representatives of the Haqqani group that was the target of recent US drone attacks.
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