Tolerate the Taliban?

“U.S. President Barack ObamaBarack Obama is prepared to accept some Taliban involvement in Afghanistan's political future and appears inclined to send as many more U.S. Troops as needed to keep Al-Qaida at bay”, a senior administration official said Thursday.

The focus by Obama's team on fighting Al-Qaida above all other goals, while downgrading the emphasis on the Taliban, come an intensely debated administration review of the unpopular eight year war.

Though aides stress that the Obama's final decision on any changes is still more than two weeks away, the emerging thinking suggests that he would be very unlikely to favour a large military increase of the kind being advocated by the top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan.

Obama's developing strategy on the Taliban will “not tolerate their return to power” the senior official said in an interview with a news company.

But the U.S, is only fighting to keep the Taliban from retaking control of Afghanistan's central government-something that is now far from being capable of-and from giving renewed sanctuary in Afghanistan to Al-Qaida, the official said.

Bowing to the reality that the Taliban is too ingrained in Afghanistan's culture to be entirely defeated, the administration is prepared to accept some Taliban role in parts Afghanistan, the official said.

WHATS MORE WITH THE TALIBAN?

A suicide car bomber detonated a vehicle outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, killing 17 people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and were specified that Indians were the target.