Hope, like the war, springs eternal.
At least if you’re outgoing US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, who today gave an interview to the Associated Press predicting major moves forward in the peace process with the Taliban, despite years of such predictions amounting to nothing so far.
Crocker went on to say that the moderate Taliban figures, naming leadership council member Agha Jan Motasim, were interested primarily in peace and had been “sending out feelers.” He insisted only a few “hard-liners” were opposed to the peace process.
The last round of talks, said to be making “tentative progress,” were in March. The Taliban cancelled the talks then, citing the Kandahar Massacre and “erratic” statements by US officials. The talks haven’t resumed since.
Despite a number of high profile attacks since then, Crocker said he doubts that high levels of violence will continue, insisting that there was no more will among the Taliban nor most other militant factions to escalate fighting again. He doubted there would be more fighting after the war’s “end” of 2014, though he didn’t address anything about the US troops which will remain in the country through 2024.
