Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

Returning now to Afghanistan, the Taliban issued a very clarifying statement yesterday, August 15. They said that they are not, and never have been, a threat to any foreign country, that they have never plotted or acted against any foreign country. I take that as a categorical denial that they were involved, in any way, in 9/11. And I believe them. I don't think they had anything remotely to do with 9/11. I think they were as shocked about it, when it happened, as the rest of the world.

And they denounced a remark made recently by an Afghan official that the upcoming "intra-Afghan talks" are specifically between the Taliban and the Afghan government. They said: 

The Islamic Emirate does not recognize the Kabul administration as a government but views it as western-imposed structure working for the continuation of American occupation. We only accept and have made preparations for negotiations that were described in the historic Doha agreement and those are intra-Afghan negotiations that include all parties within the Afghan community and culture. 

What that tells to me is that they are not going to negotiate with the Afghan government and with Ghani. They are going to insist that the current government be disbanded. Anyone who thinks that a coalition between the Taliban and the current government is coming is nursing a delusion. The Taliban is going to insist that all top officials in the current government leave. Lower officials who pledge allegiance to the Taliban and what they are striving for will be welcome to stay.  But, that's about it. The old government has to die and a new one started with no ties whatsoever to the occupiers. That's what they are going to say. 

The question is: Will the Taliban be inclusive enough so that the Afghan government will step aside? Will the Afghan government be willing to shutter itself in order to have peace?  Trump may have a role in this because if he cuts off all funding to the Afghan government, they will have close-up. 

But, it's going to end with a new government that has most, if not all that the Taliban wants. And it really will constitute a defeat for the United States. When it's all over, and peace is established, it will be as much a defeat for the United States as it was for the Soviet Union.  Or I could say that it will be as much a defeat for the U.S. as was the Vietnam War. There will be some talking heads who try to spin it otherwise, but other talking heads will point out that every American who died in Afghanistan died for absolutely nothing.