American President Jimmy Carter signed CIA directive to arm Afghan jihadists July 1979, whereas Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan December the same year.. ..…

this by far is the closest to deal, said Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Afghan minister. ... That was before Khalilzad, Afghan- American and former ambassador to Afghanistan, had even begun the latest round of direct negotiations with Taliban, as previous sessions had.. ..…

But the Taliban has so far rejected a ceasefire and refused to recognize the Western-backed government in Kabul, referring to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as an American puppet. . . ... -backed Afghan government. . . The question is whether the U.S.-Taliban dialogue creates..…