It's time to negotiate with the Taliban, because NATO forces will not defeat them in battle in Afghanistan, the head of the British army said yesterday. General Sir David Richards said that while allied forces can continue to "punish" the Taliban in individual battles, overall victory is now looking less certain. “There's always been a point at which you start to negotiate with each other," Richards said. There's “no reason why we shouldn't be looking at that sort of thing pretty soon,” he said.
Richards' comments come after the death of the nineteenth British soldier this month, and ahead of a speech the UK defense secretary will make this week warning the public to brace themselves for "increased casualties" through the summer, the Telegraph reports. This month has been the deadliest for allied forces since the war began in 2001.
(More Afghanistan casualties stories.)