Defense Secretary Calls For Peace Settlement In Afghanistan

What’s the story?

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is in Afghanistan. The Associated Press reports Mattis said to reporters that victory in the region is likely, but it will not be a military victory. Instead, he called for peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Kabul.

Mattis does not expect a wholesale commitment to peace by the Taliban, but suggested that certain members and factions could be "peeled off" because they are so tired of fighting after 16 years.

The war in Afghanistan is the longest military conflict in U.S. history.

Mattis said that the recent increase in troops in Afghanistan will "convince the insurgents they cannot win on the battlefield, thus driving them to reconcile with the Afghan government."

According to the report, experts on the region are skeptical that the Secretary’s calls for peace negotiations will create an opening with the Taliban. Officially, the Taliban maintains that conflict-ending talks must occur between themselves and Washington, not Kabul.

The U.S. military efforts are focused on supporting the Afghan government and military, so that they can control the region independently. The head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, testified to Congress in February that Afghani security forces are improving, but that they cannot "prevent the insurgency from maintaining a rural presence" or periodically attacking population centers or key travel routes.

A negotiation may be the only way, therefore, to create lasting peace.

What do you think?

Do you think the U.S. should be pursuing peace negotiations in Afghanistan? Did you support the increase in troops ordered by the Trump administration? Do you think there is any hope for an end to conflict in the region?

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— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: U.S. Army via Flickr / Creative Commons)