Azernews.Az

Reconciliation in Afghanistan has become a conventional wisdom in United States` state department. During the last several months US has concluded that to wriggle out of Afghanistan some kind of bargain with the Taliban is necessary to secure peace in Afghanistan. US strategy in Afghanistan has gone under a great transition wherein securing of peace in an early time frame is now mandatory. US Secretary of Defense Leone Panetta has declared that US combat operations in Afghanistan would cease by middle of 2013 and the US troops might be pulled out faster than anticipated. US has mentally accepted that the war cannot be won militarily. Human Rights Watch has declared 2011 as the most violent year so far in the Afghan war.

But why so much rush in advancing the withdrawal time-frame? The wrapping up of Afghan military mission without loss of life and material is only possible when some degree of peace takes place in Afghanistan. But moving out massive arsenal and associated support logistics out of Afghanistan will be gigantic task that can only be done if peace is established before the transition takes place. The US Presidential elections are around the corner and Obama wants his second time presidency. In his state of the Union address the President has pledged to, ``wind down`` the war in Afghanistan and hence opened the road to Qatar for talks with the Taliban. To surge his presidential bid the White House is working hard towards an authentic announcement to be made by Obama declaring start of the formal peace negotiations with the Taliban at the May 20-21 NATO summit in Chicago this year.