The leader of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says alliance progress in recent months has congested Taliban advances in most of the country, and is put force on even senior leaders of the group to seek a peace deal with the Afghan administration.Universal Petraeus has spoken of progress in specific parts of Afghanistan previous to, but now he says that in the last three-to-six months Afghan troops and his international forces have changed the situation in most of the country."I think the Taliban momentum has, as I noted earlier, been overturned in many areas and definitely under arrest in the bulk of the country," said Petraeus. "I wouldn't say all parts.Full story
Taliban administrators have busy in periodic, discreet contacts with Afghan and U.S. officials for months but are reluctant to move to formal peace negotiations until the U.S. agrees to a schedule for the withdrawal of all foreign troops, according to a Pakistani cleverness official and members of a newly formed Afghan calm council.The White House said Wednesday that President Barack Obama ropes attempts by the Afghan government to open calm talks with Taliban leaders, but still wants the rebellious to give up violence and their support of al-Qaida.Though, press secretary Robert Gibbs said the United States was not taking part in any such talks. "This is about Afghanistan," he said. "It has to be done by the Afghans."
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