Speaking today at a news conference in Kabul, US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman announced that he held a single, secret meeting with members of the Haqqani Network.
“I think from the Afghan perspective anyway, this is an inclusive process but we will have to see what turns out,” Grossman added. He provided no details about where or when the Haqqani meeting took place.
Recent reports suggest the administration is desperate to show some sort of progress in Afghanistan, and is willing to talk to virtually anyhow who will listen. Yesterday’s reports of the Karzai government courting the Hezb-e Islami has been followed up by reports that top US officials also met with the group.
The US has made much of the Haqqani faction being a “top” threat in Afghanistan, using them as an excuse for the targeting of North Waziristan with repeated air strikes. Grossman said he hopes that the Taliban and other groups soon decide to publicly “denounce” terrorism.
The old addage that "talk is cheap" is certainly relevant these days. Unfortunately, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, is either woefully ignorant or just a plain, irresponsible, card-carrying Republican Warhawk disposed with fueling the fires of war and thus stuff the coffers of his corporate donors. His whopper that "the Taliban came over here and killed our people" in response to a question about negotiating with the Taliban…is a flat-out LIE! Afghanistan and or Afghan nationals had no role in 9/11.
The Afghan so-called "insurgents" are legitimate resistance cobbled together to evict the foreign occupiers. A glance at history demonstrates this is what transpired during the Soviet era and the British Raj before that. The point is that when one attacks a country, dropping bombs, launching drones, and conducting night raids into their homes they should expect there will be resistance. Would the American public act any different?