Dealing with the Taliban
An Ottawa Citizen editorial: After more than a decade of relentless war, Afghanistan has become a killing field, and if peace is needed anywhere, it is in this blighted country. The number of dead in the 12-year war is hard to quantify, but according to the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, the number of civilians killed in the six years up to last year is about 15,000. And then there are the fighting men and women who have died. The United States has lost more than 2,000 soldiers, while we have lost 158.
The U.S. and its Western allies have obviously been responsible for some of the civilian deaths, but a report by the UN mission says the Taliban and other militants were responsible for four out of every five civilians killed last year, a trend that has been rising since 2007. The Taliban, who once ruled Afghanistan but were driven out by the U.S. and its allies in the bitter aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, are still a formidable force in Afghanistan, and there clearly can be no peace in the country without their involvement or acquiescence. That is why, despite deep reservations, people of goodwill around the world welcomed the news that the United States and the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai have made peace overtures to the group.
Make no mistake, the Taliban are extremists who kill indiscriminately and mercilessly. But you don’t make peace with your friends. The people of Afghanistan have suffered too much for too long, and if talking to the Taliban is the pathway to peace, let us embrace it.
But talking peace is one thing; conferring legitimacy is another. What transpired in Qatar last week, when the Taliban opened its political office with all the trappings of an embassy, is a step too far. The Taliban have always sought international legitimacy and it is not surprising that they tried to turn what was supposed to be a place to facilitate peace talks, into an international symbol.
It is not often that we agree with Karzai, but he was right to see through the Taliban attempt to create what amounts to a parallel embassy. And he was right to put the talks on hold. The Taliban continue to plant bombs and kill women and children. There really is something unseemly about rewarding that behaviour with an office and propaganda tool.