In their briefings to India on the prospective talks with the Taliban, the US had assured India that it would not hold talks with the Haqqani network, the deadliest Taliban outfitthat attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul and is known to be close to the Pakistan army.
Yet, as the US try to put their talks with the Taliban in motion, its clear the Haqqanis will be part
of the Taliban delegation. This will top the talks with Kerry here next week as India joined the clamour against the talks which Indian officials described as "opportunistic".
Meanwhile, Kerry, fielding Afghanistan's anger, after the US opened peace talks with the Taliban in Doha, may stop over in Kabul to pacify Hamid Karzai. Pakistan backtracked somewhat on Friday, saying it "recognizes the government of President Hamid Karzai as the legitimate government of Afghanistan".
The Taliban have adopted a talk/fight strategy, continuing their attacks against the Nato forces even as they reportedly readied themselves for talks. Sources tracking the Taliban say this is a new generation of leaders who may declare allegiance to Mullah Omar, but are different from the old Quetta Shura. This is a generation of taliban operatives who have a much closer dependence on the Pakistan army. Hence the importance of Kayani in getting the peace process with the Taliban under way.
The Haqqani network, who work under the leadership of Sirajuddin Haqqani are part of the same Taliban and much closer to the Pakistan army than other Taliban factions. They are also the group used to attack Indian interests in Afghanistan. Indians fear that once they are legitimized by the peace process, there would be no stopping them.
Earlier this week, US officials describing the Taliban office in Qatar, said, "We consider the Haqqani Network an especially dangerous element of the overall Taliban movement. So the Haqqanis declare themselves part of the overall (Taliban) movement, and we have all evidence that supports that claim... so we consider them a fully subordinate part of the overall insurgency. When the Taliban movement opens the office and is represented by its political commission, that political commission represents, as we understand it, the Haqqani elements as well. We don't know the exact makeup of the Taliban delegation, but we believe that it broadly represents, as authorized by Mullah Omar, the entire movement to include the Haqqanis."
However, the ISAF commander had his reservations. "All I've seen of the Haqqanis would make it hard for me to believe they were reconcilable," International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander Gen. Joseph Dunford admitted at a pentagon press conference.
More important was the US state department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, diluted the "red lines" further, saying an eventual cutting off of al-Qaeda ties by the Taliban was only an "end goal of the process". This contradicts the US' own previous line that first demanded that Taliban renounce ties with Al Qaeda before sitting for negotiations.
In fact, ties between Taliban and Al Qaeda are not only close, but have grown in the past few years. Documents picked up from Osama bin Laden's house in Abbottabad have revealed close communication between him, Ayman Zawahiri and Mullah Omar. The idea, therefore, that Taliban can distance itself from Al Qaeda, said officials, is pure fiction.
Separately, a new study by the International centre for the Study of Radicalization observes that there is no clear strategic rationale for holding peace talks with the Taliban. "A shift toward 'moderation' among the Taliban has been much overstated and not borne out by events on the ground. The real impetus for the tentative talks which have taken place are the major troop withdrawals that began in 2012. The internal dynamics of the Taliban movement are in flux but it is far from clear whether its future trajectory will make it more amenable to a peace deal."
Yet, as the US try to put their talks with the Taliban in motion, its clear the Haqqanis will be part
Meanwhile, Kerry, fielding Afghanistan's anger, after the US opened peace talks with the Taliban in Doha, may stop over in Kabul to pacify Hamid Karzai. Pakistan backtracked somewhat on Friday, saying it "recognizes the government of President Hamid Karzai as the legitimate government of Afghanistan".
The Taliban have adopted a talk/fight strategy, continuing their attacks against the Nato forces even as they reportedly readied themselves for talks. Sources tracking the Taliban say this is a new generation of leaders who may declare allegiance to Mullah Omar, but are different from the old Quetta Shura. This is a generation of taliban operatives who have a much closer dependence on the Pakistan army. Hence the importance of Kayani in getting the peace process with the Taliban under way.
The Haqqani network, who work under the leadership of Sirajuddin Haqqani are part of the same Taliban and much closer to the Pakistan army than other Taliban factions. They are also the group used to attack Indian interests in Afghanistan. Indians fear that once they are legitimized by the peace process, there would be no stopping them.
Earlier this week, US officials describing the Taliban office in Qatar, said, "We consider the Haqqani Network an especially dangerous element of the overall Taliban movement. So the Haqqanis declare themselves part of the overall (Taliban) movement, and we have all evidence that supports that claim... so we consider them a fully subordinate part of the overall insurgency. When the Taliban movement opens the office and is represented by its political commission, that political commission represents, as we understand it, the Haqqani elements as well. We don't know the exact makeup of the Taliban delegation, but we believe that it broadly represents, as authorized by Mullah Omar, the entire movement to include the Haqqanis."
However, the ISAF commander had his reservations. "All I've seen of the Haqqanis would make it hard for me to believe they were reconcilable," International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander Gen. Joseph Dunford admitted at a pentagon press conference.
More important was the US state department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, diluted the "red lines" further, saying an eventual cutting off of al-Qaeda ties by the Taliban was only an "end goal of the process". This contradicts the US' own previous line that first demanded that Taliban renounce ties with Al Qaeda before sitting for negotiations.
In fact, ties between Taliban and Al Qaeda are not only close, but have grown in the past few years. Documents picked up from Osama bin Laden's house in Abbottabad have revealed close communication between him, Ayman Zawahiri and Mullah Omar. The idea, therefore, that Taliban can distance itself from Al Qaeda, said officials, is pure fiction.
Separately, a new study by the International centre for the Study of Radicalization observes that there is no clear strategic rationale for holding peace talks with the Taliban. "A shift toward 'moderation' among the Taliban has been much overstated and not borne out by events on the ground. The real impetus for the tentative talks which have taken place are the major troop withdrawals that began in 2012. The internal dynamics of the Taliban movement are in flux but it is far from clear whether its future trajectory will make it more amenable to a peace deal."
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