After 15+ years of war in Afghanistan one might want to know how the US and the Taleban came to blows.  Some say it is because of their support for AQ and Osama (for the mentally challenged…that is Osama with an “S” not a “B”)….it is a good explanation but is it the only reason for the division?

Let’s look back….in the 1980’s when Afghanistan was fighting for survival and liberation from Russian occupation……the US was the biggest and best suppliers of weapons and funds to the Afghans fighting the Russians and that included the beginnings of the Taleban……

It would seem that the Afghans have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the US…..if so then what would drive a wedge between the 2 countries?

I read a good perspective piece in AJE on the situation between the US and the Taleban

The relationship between the US and the Taliban from the late 1990s onwards was defined by one thing: ignorance.

There is a saying that “man is an enemy to that of which he is ignorant”. It seems to perfectly sum up the relationship between the Taliban and the US during the late 1990s.

I recall in the autumn of 1997 interviewing the Taliban’s acting prime minister, Mullah Mohammed Hassan Akhund. He would later become the deputy to Mullah Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban.

During our conversation, he received what seemed to be a very important phone call. Wanting to give him some privacy, I stood up to leave the room. But he motioned to me to remain and then put the call on loudspeaker.

Source: How the Taliban and the US fell out of love – News from Al Jazeera

Is there any way to salvage a friendly relationship between the two countries and the 2 ideologies?