Gen. Petraeus Sees Value In Talking With Taliban

Okay, color me dumbfounded by this, but alas, I have 110% confidence in General Petraeus after what he accomplished in Iraq, so I'm willing to go along here. Let's face it...Gen. Petraeus is a strategist and in that role, he looks at things a whole lot differently than us worker bees. I personally feel that talking with the Taliban is a worthless effort, that they cannot be trusted as far as you can throw them. But, I have to remember that when Petraeus called for The Surge in Iraq I thought he was nuts - not that he called for the additional troops but when the plan involved putting the troops out on the perimeter engaged with Iraqi Army and occupying forward operating mini-bases in police stations, etc. I thought that would be disastrous and obviously, it was brilliance. Sheer brilliance - hell, the Gifted One, Barack Obama, didn't even think it would work and he's got that crystal ball, yanno. :spit:

Anyway, this story is here over at Reuters and here's some of the thoughts of the General:

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said on Wednesday that negotiations with some members of the Taliban could provide a way to reduce violence in sections of Afghanistan gripped by an intensifying insurgency.
"If there are people who are willing to reconcile (with the government), then that would be a positive step in some of these areas that have actually been spiraling downward," said Petraeus, who will soon take up responsibility for U.S. operations in Afghanistan.
"The key there is making sure that all of that is done in complete coordination, with complete support of the Afghan government," he told a forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

"You've got to set things up. You've got to know who you're talking to. You've got to have your objectives straight," the general said.

You see that last statement? Look at that first sentence about "set things up." That is what I mean about Petraeus' mind - I have no idea what he means by that but I would guess he is looking at what exactly you set as expectations and what precisely you can get out of these attacks.

Like I say, I'm not happy with this stance but the fact of the matter is this - General Petraeus is taking over the War in Afghanistan with a lack of U.S. and NATO troops and he knows that getting more NATO troops is probably not going to happen...and he could be looking at Obama as CIC in three months and that could be disastrous - so he has to be looking at all options in the meantime.

Petraeus sees value in talking to Taliban

Petraeus, the former commander in Iraq who is credited by U.S. officials with saving Iraq from civil war, is scheduled on October 31 to take over U.S. Central Command, which overseas American military interests across the Middle East and into south and central Asia.
Violence has soared in Afghanistan over the past two years, particularly in provinces along the country's eastern border with Pakistan, where U.S. troops face a growing insurgency fueled by militant safe havens across the border.
U.S. concern about the violence has prompted the Bush administration to mount a broad review of its strategy in Afghanistan.
Petraeus said negotiations with insurgents willing to consider reconciliation could reduce violence by isolating hard-core militants, which is what occurred in Iraq's Anbar province when Sunni tribesmen joined U.S. forces against al Qaeda.
"You've got to set things up. You've got to know who you're talking to. You've got to have your objectives straight," the general said.
His remarks followed a flurry of media reports about possible negotiations with the Taliban.
Saudi King Abdullah hosted a meeting last month with representatives of the Taliban and the Afghan government, fanning speculation about a potential dialogue.
The British commander in Afghanistan, Brig. Mark Carleton-Smith, also told the Sunday Times that negotiations with the Taliban could bring needed progress.
Asked about those remarks, Petraeus noted that Britain's long experience negotiating with adversaries helped reduce violence in Iraq. "They've sat down with thugs throughout their history, including us in our early days, I suspect," he said.