Pakistan Says Taliban Leader Will Talk To U.S.

Photo: Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Afghan Taliban leader, has been a fugitive from U.S.-led forces since 2001.

From CNN:

(CNN) -- Pakistan's military has declared that not only is it in contact with Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar but that it can bring him and other commanders to the negotiating table with the United States.

The acknowledgment of on-going communication with Taliban forces using sanctuary in Pakistan to launch military strikes against U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan is part of a new diplomatic overture to help the Obama administration find an end to the long-running conflict.

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My Comment: This report gives more questions than answers. Is Pakistani Intelligence keeping Mohammad Omar under wraps? What level of support is being offered to him now? What has been offered in the past? What do they want the Americans to give in return for opening discussions? What is their level of influence over the Afghan Taliban leader? Why now?

Peace in Afghanistan can only come about if there is peace in Pakistan. Can such talks be successful .... if I examine history I would have to say no. Pakistan's ISI have completely failed in combating the Taliban and their allies, and in some cases many believe that both organizations are one and the same.

If the Taliban and their Pakistani allies want to talk now, it is because they are not comfortable with the trends that they are seeing. The Pakistani Army has inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban in their civil war, drone attacks are decimating the command levels of both Afghan and Pakistan Taliban, and the war in Afghanistan itself is inflicting heavy casualties on both sides with the advantage going towards NATO and the Afghan Government.