At Least Someone Is Optimistic

Abdul Qayoom, left, Farah City prison commander, points out the prison's sewer area to U.S. Army Sgt. William Russell, center, security force team member for Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Martin, right, during a meeting with key leaders at the prison in Farah City, Afghanistan, Dec. 29, 2012. The team's mission is to train, advise and assist Afghan government leaders at the municipal, district and provincial levels in the province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Hospital Corpsman Josh Ives

Top Afghan Negotiator Optimistic Over Peace Prospects -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A top Afghan peace negotiator said he was cautiously optimistic about prospects for reconciliation with the Taliban and that all sides now realized a military solution to the war was not possible.

Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai also told Reuters that the Kabul government hoped to transform the Afghan Taliban, who have proved resilient after more than a decade of war against U.S.-led NATO and Afghan troops, into a political movement.

He predicted the highly lethal Haqqani militant network, the most experienced at guerrilla warfare, would join the peace process if the Afghan Taliban started formal talks.

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My Comment: I do sense that a tipping point has been reached .... that the Taliban simply do not have the resources to come back to power. But .... like Iraq .... even if a peace agreement is reached, I do see sectarian violence becoming a daily occurrence in Afghanistan .... specifically in the Pashtun areas.