Rashid on reconciliation

Ahmed Rashid has a piece saying that the US needs to make up its mind on reconciliation and negotiation with the Taliban.

Meanwhile, the Emergency workers are back in Italy:

But it was no surprise that Emergency had come under the Afghan authorities' scrutiny. Like other medical charities such as the Red Cross, it treats wounded regardless of whose side they are on, which means Taliban fighters are among those who benefit from their care.

But unlike other NGOs in the field, it has accompanied its work in Helmand with sharp criticism of the number of civilian victims of the southern offensive against the Taliban and allegations that the United States-led international coalition was preventing the injured from reaching their hospital.

"It's probably right to say what happened, happened because we told the story of the war," Dell'Aira told a news conference on Friday. "This annoyed people because we told all the stories of our wounded, 40 percent of whom are children."