Ex-NATO Commander Urges U.S. to Negotiate With Taliban [Video]

A former NATO supreme allied commander for Europe has voiced support for the U.S. entering negotiations with the Taliban, despite how “distasteful” the talks might seem to some.

On Monday, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that representatives from Afghanistan and the U.S. had met in Qatar for a two-day round of negotiations, the first since the Taliban’s return to power. The talks involved the discussion of “confidence-building measures,” according to Al Jazeera. These included “the lifting of sanctions and travel bans as well as the return of Afghan central bank assets held abroad,” as well as human rights issues and combating the narcotics trade.

Founded as an Islamic fundamentalist group, the Talibanhas controlled Afghanistan’s government since U.S. forces exited the country in August 2021. Despite its initial promises to embrace modern forms of governance, the extremist group’s time in power has been marked by a consistent curtailing of …