Petraeus Sees Value In Talking To Taliban -- Washington Post

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said on Wednesday that negotiations with some members of the Taliban could provide a way to reduce violence in sections of Afghanistan gripped by an intensifying insurgency.

"If there are people who are willing to reconcile (with the government), then that would be a positive step in some of these areas that have actually been spiraling downward," said Petraeus, who will soon take up responsibility for U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

"The key there is making sure that all of that is done in complete coordination, with complete support of the Afghan government," he told a forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Petraeus, the former commander in Iraq who is credited by U.S. officials with saving Iraq from civil war, is scheduled on October 31 to take over U.S. Central Command, which overseas American military interests across the Middle East and into south and central Asia.

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My Comment: Laying the groundwork to divide the enemy. This worked in Iraq, Petraeus is hoping that it will work in Afghanistan.