Peace Talks

There is a lot of uncertainty as to the future of peace talks. A second round was supposed to have begun already (this past Friday) but due to the news of Mullah Omar's death and other factors they have been postponed. It appears that Pakistan - who was hosting the second round of talks - postponed the meeting between the Afghan government representatives and the folks speaking for the Taliban. Some reports indicate that there is an internal conflict among the Taliban commanders - some want to negotiate and others want to keep fighting. This, of course, is while a leadership struggle of the Taliban is underway. According to some news reports, the new leader of the Taliban is not in favor of peace talks. However, not everyone is pessimistic on peace prospects. Read more in "Author Sees Negotiated Settlement in Afghanistan", Gandhara Blog, August 2, 2015.