The Obama administration’s plans to negotiate with the Taliban are moving forward, U.S. officials say.
The U.S. is confident that talks are the best chance to end the 10-year-old war in Afghanistan.
But the military worries things are moving too fast, and intelligence agencies offer a gloomy prognosis in their latest Afghanistan report.
U.S. negotiators and Taliban representatives are working in the next week to set specific steps ahead of formal talks. A senior U.S. official says those talks, if they ever happen, would include the United States, the Taliban and the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive diplomacy. Elements of U.S. outreach to the Taliban are also classified.
