Representatives of the Taliban and the Afghan government have begun high-level, secret talks to negotiate an end to the war in Afghanistan according to Afghan and Arab sources cited by the Washington Post.

The sources say that though the talks are only preliminary, this is the first time that Taliban representatives have been given the authority to officially negotiate on behalf of Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban organization made up of the remains of the Taliban government that was ousted by the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and that is now based in Pakistan.

On September 28, Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the names of 68 former officials and tribal leaders who comprise the High Peace Council, which is responsible for negotiations with the Taliban.

According to the Post, Quetta Shura representatives are discussing a broad agreement that would include the inclusion of Taliban officials in Afghanistan’s government and the withdrawal of U.S. and nato troops according to a definite timeline.

Afghan, Arab and European sources cited by the Post said the Obama administration is open to the talks after smaller-than-expected nato gains against the Taliban in the summer despite the increase in U.S. troops. “What it really boils down to is the Americans both supporting and in some cases maybe even participating in talking with the enemy,” a European official said.

Stratfor notes that the Taliban, which is in a position of strength, is not being forced to the negotiating table out of fear of defeat, but rather that it is an opportunity wherein it has little to lose. “The question is what the cost will be, in terms of concessions, of convincing the Taliban to negotiate meaningfully and genuinely on a political settlement on a timeframe compatible with U.S. constraints” (September 29).

The idea of a negotiated peace to end the war in Afghanistan is not new. Last year we reported that Britain and the United States were seeking negotiations with the Taliban. “This policy is a defeat in all but name,” we wrote. “The world’s greatest military power and its British ally cannot defeat the Taliban. This demonstrates what theTrumpet.com has been forecasting for many years: America has won its last war.”

For more information on the prophetic implications of this development, read our 2008 article “Afghanistan: Back to Where We Started.”