A new report says Taliban militants in Afghanistan could be persuaded to renounce their ties to al-Qaida.
The report, which was published by New York University on Monday, also warns that U.S. policies in Afghanistan are creating younger and more militant Taliban leaders, who are less open to a peace deal to end the Afghan war.
The report says attacks on local Taliban commanders and leaders will lead to younger more radical members of the Taliban taking control. It says U.S. authorities should create a dialog with older Taliban leaders while they still retain their influence.
It says the Taliban could renounce ties with al-Qaida if given security guarantees and that negotiations with the Taliban should be an integral part of the war effort.
Listen to VOA's Ira Mellman's interview with Alex Strick van Linschoten:
The report, "Separating the Taliban from Al Qaida: The Core of Success in Afghanistan," is written by Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn, two longtime observers of Afghanistan. They say their findings are based on discussions with Taliban leaders in Kabul, Kandahar and Khost.