Britain's Top General: The West Should Have Negotiated With The Taliban A Decade Ago

Militants: Taliban fighters were on the run after they were toppled from power more than a decade ago

'We Should Have Talked To Taliban' Says Top British Officer In Afghanistan -- The Guardian

Exclusive: General Nick Carter says west could have struck a deal with Taliban leaders after they were toppled a decade ago

The west should have tried talking to the Taliban a decade ago, after they had just been toppled from power, the top British commander in Afghanistan has told the Guardian, barely a week after the latest attempt to bring the insurgent group to the negotiating table stuttered to a halt.

General Nick Carter, deputy commander of the Nato-led coalition, said Afghan forces would need western military and financial support for several years after western combat troops head home in 2014. And he said the Kabul government may have to accept that for some years it would have only shaky control over some remoter parts of the country.

Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, he said: "Back in 2002, the Taliban were on the run. I think that at that stage, if we had been very prescient, we might have spotted that a final political solution to what started in 2001, from our perspective, would have involved getting all Afghans to sit at the table and talk about their future,"

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More News On Comments By Britain's Top General That The West Should Have Negotiated With The Taliban A Decade Ago

West should have talked to Taliban after toppling them a DECADE ago, says top UK general -- Daily Mail
West should have negotiated with Taliban a decade ago, says British general -- The Telegraph
West should have talked to Taliban: British general -- AFP
West should have talked to Taliban - British general -- BBC
Peace talks with Taliban Group needed decade ago -- Khaama Press

My Comment: I disagree with this argument. When US forces went into Afghanistan they quickly decimated much of the leadership of the Taliban, and those who were not killed quickly went underground in Pakistan. There was no one left to negotiate with. The institution that we should have talked to were the Pakistanis .... who even to this day are the ones who have the most leverage with the Taliban.

Update: Even British PM Cameron believes that such talks should have been done a decade ago.