| Ah, but which particular group of Taliban are they talking to, and what are the odds that this group cannot speak for any other? |
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
group met with the Iranian officials in Tehran on Sunday in what appears to be the second meeting between Taliban and Tehran over the past recent weeks.
A front man of the foreign ministry of Iran, Bahram Qasemi confirmed that the the talks were held with the knowledge of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..and were intended to set parameters for negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
"A Taliban delegation was in Tehran yesterday. They had comprehensive negotiations with the Iranian deputy foreign minister," Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying in a report by Rooters.
This comes as Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the National Security Council of Iran on Wednesday informed his Afghan counterpart that Tehran has been holding talks with the Taliban with the knowledge of the Afghan government.
The talks were held "to help curb the security problems in Afghanistan," Shamkhani told Hamdullah Mohib, the Afghan president’s national security advisor.
"All contacts and talks with the Taliban group have been with the knowledge of Afghanistan’s government and this process will continue," the top Iranian security official was quoted as saying by Tehran Times.
Shamkhani arrived to Kabul leading a delegation of high-ranking Iranian security, military and political officials.