Talking to Terrorists? Karzai Says Afghanistan & U.S. Are in Contact With Taliban
- Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:01am by
Scott Baker
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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that Afghanistan and the United States are engaged in peace talks with the Taliban, even as insurgents stormed a police station near the presidential palace, killing three people.
The brazen attack in the heart of Kabul‘s government district provided a sharp counterpoint to Karzai’s announcement that the U.S. and Afghan government are in talks with the Taliban, the first official confirmation of such discussions. The violence also underscored the difficulty facing any possible negotiated settlement to the decade-long war.
Men dressed in Afghan army uniforms stormed the police station near the presidential palace and opened fire on officers, said Mohammed Honayon, an eyewitness. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that one of the attackers detonated a suicide bomb vest outside the gates while the others rushed in and began shooting.
The crackle of gunfire echoed through the empty streets typically bustling with shoppers and government employees on a Saturday, the start of Afghanistan’s work week. The fighting ended by 3 p.m. local time when security forces shot dead the two other attackers. Two police officers and a civilian were killed in the attack, and four officers and eight civilians wounded, the Interior Ministry said.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to The Associated Press, saying the group dispatched three suicide bombers.
The assault occurred shortly after Karzai announced during a speech at the presidential palace that his government and the U.S. have begun preliminary negotiations with the Taliban aimed at ending the conflict.
“In the course of this year, there have been peace talks with the Taliban and our own countrymen,” Karzai said. “Peace talks have started with them already and it is going well. Foreign militaries, especially the United States of America, are going ahead with these negotiations.”
Karzai said some of the Taliban emissaries that have met with members of the peace council he set up were only representing themselves, while others were speaking for the broader movement. The exact nature of the contacts was not immediately clear, and further details were not available.
A spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul did not return a call for comment Saturday.
Attacks like the one on Saturday in Kabul are rare.
The capital is one of seven regions scheduled to be handed over to Afghan security control in late July. It is part of NATO’s efforts to begin handing over guarding the nation ahead of its planned 2014 withdrawal from the country. The U.S. also plans to start a drawdown of troops in July.
The last major attack in Kabul took place last month when a suicide bomber wearing an Afghan police uniform infiltrated the main Afghan military hospital in Kabul in late May. He killed six medical students. A month before that, a suicide attacker in an army uniform sneaked past security at the Afghan Defense Ministry, killing three.
Attacks have increased in Afghanistan since the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and the start of the Taliban’s yearly spring offensive.
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Associated Press writers Ahmad Seir and Amir Shah contributed to this report.
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Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
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junkmaninohio
Posted on June 20, 2011 at 10:34amWar without end defending this corrupt S.O.B and his family cronies. Why are our boys dying over there for this idiot’s preservation??? Will Congress do anything to end this madness? Don’t hold your breath.
Report Post »EWRoss
Posted on June 19, 2011 at 7:26pmNegotiating with the Taliban is OK as long as any agreement has the proper carrots and sticks.
http://www.ewross.com/negotiating_with_the_taliban.htm
Report Post »BOMBMECCA
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 7:10pmAll this Peace talk is a bunch of horse@#$%!
Its about 1 thing….Afgan is the #1 resource for all precious minerals in the world now. Gold, Uranium etc…you name it. And the powers that be WANT IT!.
On top of that…who do they think they are kidding? We all know they are paying these desert dwelling, OPEC Dependant wife stoning rats under the table to stop attacks on us, with our own tax payer money! It‘s it’s completely giving into terrorism and extortionists.
It’s enough to make a maggot throw up!
( “trust nobody” )
Report Post »coloradopaytreeot
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 2:35pmThere should be NO peace talks with terrorists. Peace talks with a terrorist is like giving a wild animal a piece of meat. It may calm it for a while, but, it will want more and more and now it knows where to get it.
Report Post »cheeze is crust
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 1:28pmWhat would Jesus do? Oh yeah… But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:39
Report Post »Table Crumb
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 1:07pmThey studied the Vietnam war well. The middle east is not ours….
They studied the “Tet Offensive”.
That war lasted 20 years.
America lost that war.
Their generals studied the Vietnam Doctrines really well.
Report Post »jessieH
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 11:45amPeace? There will be no peace.
Report Post »compatriotshonor
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 11:22amI keep wondering here, why is it that we, the US, is engaging peace talks to terrorists? I, among many people here in the US, thopught for the longest time, that we don’t negotiate with terrorists, or are we being set up by the president of the united states?
Report Post »Why is it, the POTUS is reversing and pulling out all the stops, to destablize our safety?
As any logical reasoning individual, can see right through this guy for what he is and yet we have a judicial system here, that is supposed to be working for and by the people of the united states, to let someone like this get away with, essentially murder, all because of his anti-colonial theology.
If I didn’t know better, I think BHO is actually not only trying his best to over throw our country, but because his anti-colonial sentiments, hates any and all todays descendants,before and after the established colonial america before and after the revolutionary war. His contempt his so profound, it vibrates the angered hatred eminating off of him in such a profound way.
It stems from his forfathers under colonial rule in east africa, under the british government, that I bet you, if you were to go to the white house and scream “hut tax”, he would literaly go ape sh**, just like a baboon in the zoo and start throwing fecies at you.
nomercy63
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 11:18amI guess Obama can lay on the ground before the terrorist and lick the crust out between their toes!
Report Post »lynnissmart
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 12:56pmOh disgusting but right! ewewewew
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 11:05amI do NOT trust this White House talking to anyone! As far as I am concerned they have handed out guns to the mexican cartel secretly, who knows what they are doing with the Taliban. We need more than anything is to bring home our troops from every where to protect the American people. There is evil in the White House and in Washington.
Report Post »God help us, we need you!
last frontier
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 11:18amDon’t forget ours, and the Britt’s ICBM information to the Russians
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:53amWe will pull out of the middle east, the muslim brotherhood will consolidate it for Iran, Iran will manage the middle east for china and we will be out of the loop, so we might as well start drilling here at home, until the battle of Armageddon gets underway.
Report Post »conservativemom99
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:41amCan’t negotiate with evil…
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:40amA waste of time and effort! The taliban will take over, because like most of the world leaders have shown no respect for The United States, or President Obama.
Report Post »Sam Brown
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:32amOnly peace talks we should be having is peacefully talking over the terrorist graves. All stopping the war will do is give them time to re-arm and regroup.
Report Post »geonj
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:30amas soon as US forces leave Afganistan the taliban will be back in power. all we will have to show for the American lives lost and maimed there is the taliban and al qaida members killed. small gain for all the blood and treasure spent there.with opium as the biggest export there will never be a change in democracy there.we should just amp up the killing of suspected taliban and get out of there.
Report Post »ProbIemSoIver
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:29amWho better than our President, the muslim, Barack Hussein Obama Bin Laden, to deal with the taliban ?
Report Post »ProbIemSoIver
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:27amI would like the 3 of us to have an opportunity to talk to the Taliban. Me, Smith and Wesson.
Report Post »cjane96
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:26amHere we go again. How do they know who they are talking too, they fooled them last time.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:25amDid we have talks with the Nazi’s or did we go until we had an unconditional surrender? If Obama had been POTUS in 1945, Albert Speer’s grandson would probably running Germany today.
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:47amNeville chamberlain played Obamas role of gullible sap, in world war 2.
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:22amthis a losing battle, the taliban well never change, they hate us,as long as we are in their country ,they will continue to fight,these idiots have fount against every government in their region,they want control just like hamas,and they will never change,and we should stay the heck out of their business,killing is what they love and they will never change no matter what you give them ,it is in their stupid d n a.
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 1:17pmDon’t be surprised to this cause our administration thinks that the talibans are “moderates” .
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:15amSend in 22 c130′s loaded with pallets of hundred dollar bills like we did in Iraq, that will buy there friendship.
Report Post »Aaron in Polk County
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:23amLet’s just pull out and leave a power vacuum in Afghanistan. Let them fend for themselves. Bring all military and civilian contractors back within the U.S. borders.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:26amHow about a carpet of glass? One way of disposing of all those ICBM’s.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:54amI have to say indeed, that we just pull out and do not go back; take our boys out of Iraq and from wherever else they are and bring them home soon. Let Afghanistan fend for itself, likewise for Iraq, as both places have been used by the admin to break our armed forces even further. This is a war that the Taliban have won, for they just needed to outlast us, as they have all other invaders over the centuries (I mean any government of Afghanistan who ruled at the time of being invaded).
Report Post »JRook
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 10:59amPerhaps but what do we do the second week. Let’s just invest in the US. To think we are actually going to change anything politically in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or can buy off their ideology is nothing but our worn out arrogance speaking.
Report Post »fastfacts
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 11:25amSadly these talks have to happen if they are to have peace in the country, some GOP candidates would have us just leave but that would destroy all the sacrifices that our soldiers gave. We need to fix the problem we are in and this is by empowering Afghan forces and try to make peace with the Taliban, if possible.
BUT WHY DOES IT HAVE TO COST MONEY.
Did you see that the U.S. lost $6.6 billion in Iraq. Some how it did not reach them. Now they are suing the US to get the money again, talk about waste and corruption: http://tiny.cc/fpprj
Report Post »Sinista MACE
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 11:27amThey aren’t “talking”. The US Military is over there helping the Taliban manufacture, protect, and distribute HEROIN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_gOaPeSCME
1:23 in the video.
Listen to the stupid soldier who works for me with my tax dollars make excuses for why he protects the rights of the Taliban to grow, use, and distribute heroin, while our government simultaneously wages a War on Drugs against our own populace…
“Frankly, it’s a part of their culture.”
“While it may grind at my gut, this is what they do.”
He‘s lying claiming that he’s offering alternatives… All they grow over there is poppy. That’s it. It’s their land, they should be able to grow and sell whatever the hell they want. Our government shouldn’t facilitate it, and make excuses for it, while we’re under assault by the corrupt DEA and other corrupt Federal and State agencies.
Report Post »Truth Wins Every Time
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 1:29pm“Peace talks have started with them already and it is going well.
——————————————————————————————–
I may be wrong but when talking peace, there should be no attacks going on.
Report Post »getalong
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 4:01pmBring our men and women home from Afghanistan and put them on our borders where they are needed. Afghanistan will always be corrupt because the people in the country are not willing to stand up and defend their own country.
Report Post »avenger
Posted on June 18, 2011 at 5:08pmwow..another schoker…hmm.viet nam redux where we are about to sell out our fallen troops and billions.whatever happened to a war with total annihilation of the country and surrender ?
Report Post »silentwatcher
Posted on June 19, 2011 at 1:47amwe may have our troops fighting in Afghanistan, but the ones we are fighting are not all from Afghanistan, like Iraq, like Libya. It’s a front,,,,we are fighting several eastern countries. I suspect our governments know this but won’t admit it and are afraid to lose face. Get our troops home.
Report Post »Sicboy
Posted on June 19, 2011 at 11:04amIf you can’t beat them join them
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