US finally realises there’s nothing called good Taliban, gets cautious

NEW DELHI: The US, which had enthusiastically peddled Pakistan’s specious good Taliban theory, seems to be having a rethink over its approach. Both President Obama and director of the CIA are now sceptical about the Pakistan-sponsored deal between Afghanistan government and a section of the Taliban militants.

President Obama has said that the deal should be watched with caution. The CIA’s director Leon E Panetta was more forthcoming when he said that there was no evidence to suggest that Taliban’s are keen on reconciliation.

“We have seen no evidence that they are truly interested in reconciliation, where they would surrender their arms, where they would denounce al-Qaeda, where they would really try to become part of that society,” Mr Panetta said on ABC’s “This Week.” These statements are significant as the US, till the other day, was willing to buy into the Pakistani claims of different strands of Taliban.

And many American strategists believed that it was a mature strategy to exploit the “divisions” among the groups led by Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mulla Omar of the Quetta Shura.

In his interview to the ABC, the CIA chief came close to conceding that there was a deal with any kind of Talibs were dangerous. He said the Taliban and their allies have little motive to contemplate a power-sharing arrangement in Afghanistan.

“We’ve seen no evidence of that and very frankly, my view is that with regards to reconciliation, unless they’re convinced that the United States is going to win and that they’re going to be defeated, I think it’s very difficult to proceed with a reconciliation that’s going to be meaningful.” he said.

The New York Times said President Obama was not too sure about Pakistan’s Afghanistan solution. “I think it’s too early to tell. I think we have to view these efforts with scepticism but also with openness. The Taliban is a blend of hard-core ideologues, tribal leaders, kids that basically sign up because it’s the best job available to them.

Not all of them are going to be thinking the same way about the Afghan government, about the future of Afghanistan. And so we’re going to have to sort through how these talks take place,” President Obama told reporters after the G-20 summit.