Barack Obama’s incoming administration is considering a regional strategy to the war in Afghanistan that could include talks with Iran, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
The newspaper, citing unnamed Obama national security advisers, also said the incoming US officials support talks between the Afghan government of Hamid Karzai and “reconcilable” members of the Taliban. Once he takes over as the president on January 20, Obama intends to renew the US focus on hunting Osama bin Laden, the Obama advisers told the Post.
The administration of George W Bush “has been hampered by ideological and diplomatic constraints and an unrealistic commitment to the goal of building a modern democracy” in Afghanistan, the newspaper said.
A more realistic goal would be to help build a stable Afghanistan that rejects Islamist extremism and does not threaten US interests, the officials told the Post. The newspaper cited conversations with several Obama advisers and senior military strategists before and after the November 4 election.
None of the Obama advisers or the military strategists would speak openly, “citing sensitivities surrounding the presidential transition and the war itself,” the Post said. During the presidential campaign, Obama said that he would explore the possibility of direct talks with the US foes, including Iran.
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