Words, not warfare, the only way out of Afghanistan

A decade of war suggests that the only feasible option to end the war in Afghanistan is to engage the insurgents in a political negotiation. What has gone wrong? In 2001, when the US-led forces and their local allies, the warlords of the Northern Alliance, brought down the Taliban regime, the Western coalition enjoyed an overwhelming Western and international support. The number of US-led forces at that time was barely 9000. This staunch support, however, has declined.