Asia | Afghanistan and the Taliban

Distant hopes

Optimism flickers about the prospects for peace

|KABUL

EVEN by Afghanistan’s murderous, war-torn standards (see chart) it has been a gory week. More than 100 civilians were injured or killed in acts of terrorism in just 48 hours. Yet, after the first meeting in years this month between an Afghan government delegation and senior leaders of the Taliban insurgency, the prospects for peace actually look better than for a long time.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Distant hopes"

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From the July 18th 2015 edition

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