NATO gives Taliban leader safe passage to Kabul

General David Petraeus said Friday that he negotiated for a top Taliban official to travel safely to the capital for peace talks.

It’s the clearest indication yet that NATO is closely involved in negotiations between insurgents and the Afghan government aimed at ending the war that has simmered in the country for nine years. The talks are believed to be informal at this stage, and are reportedly being carried out between Kabul government officials and an Afghan group representing the Taliban, with NATO supervision. The idea of negotiating with the Taliban has been repeatedly rejected over the years by politicians in Canada and the U.S. (with the notable exception of the NDP’s Jack Layton), but with no end to the war in sight and insurgents inflicting record casualties on allied troops, it now appears that NATO feels it’s a viable option.