"With bin Laden’s death, U.S. sees a chance to hasten the end of the Afghan war"

[Cha]

>snip<

The Obama administration is seeking to use the killing of Osama bin Laden to accelerate a negotiated settlement with the Taliban and hasten the end of the Afghanistan war, according to U.S. officials involved in war policy.

Administration officials think it could now be easier for the reclusive leader of the largest Taliban faction, Mohammad Omar, to break his group’s alliance with al-Qaeda, a key U.S. requirement for any peace deal. They also think that bin Laden’s death could make peace talks a more palatable outcome for Americans and insulate President Obama from criticism that his administration would be negotiating with terrorists.

“Bin Laden’s death is the beginning of the endgame in Afghanistan,” said a senior administration official who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal policy deliberations. “It changes everything.”

>read more<
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/w...story.html

I hope we're able to get out of Afghanistan and Pakistan now that bin laden is finally dead.

[Hekate]

That hopey-changey thingy could work out pretty good for all of us.

[sandnsea]

Omar having power in Afghanistan would not be a good outcome. I hope they can figure out some way to avoid that.