Former Taliban commander and presidential candidate Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi speaks during a campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. Afghans will head to the polls on Aug. 20 to elect new president. AP Photo logo AP Photo 3 months ago

Former Taliban commander and presidential candidate Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi speaks during a campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. Afghans will head to the polls on Aug. 20 to elect new president.

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  1. In this photo taken on Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, Taliban commander Baz Mohammed, center, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his headquarters in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. Mohammed, a commander in a pro-government militia, is supported by the government as both share a common enemy, the Pakistan Taliban serving under the replacement of their chief Baitullah Mehshud, killed during a CIA missile strike last month.
  2. In this photo taken on Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, Taliban commander Baz Mohammed, center, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his headquarters in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. Mohammed, a commander in a pro-government militia, is supported by the government as both share a common enemy, the Pakistan Taliban serving under the replacement of their chief Baitullah Mehshud, killed during a CIA missile strike last month.
  3. SAR HAWZA, AFGHANISTAN - DECEMBER 04: Males from the village gather in a school yard to listen to Brig. Gen. Dowlat Kahn, provincial head of the Afghan Nation Police (ANP) for Paktika Province, as he calls for cooperation in the fight against the Taliban on December 4, 2009 in Sar Hawza, Afghanistan. Soldiers from the U.S Army have been training and are patrolling with the ANP in order to help them become self sufficient in the region.
  4. SAR HAWZA, AFGHANISTAN - DECEMBER 04: Males from the village gather in a school yard to listen to Brig. Gen. Dowlat Kahn, provincial head of the Afghan Nation Police (ANP) for Paktika Province, as he calls for cooperation in the fight against the Taliban on December 4, 2009 in Sar Hawza, Afghanistan. Soldiers from the U.S Army have been training and are patrolling with the ANP in order to help them become self sufficient in the region.
  5. Gen. Dowlat Kahn, provincial head of the Afghan Nation Police (ANP) for Paktika Province, calls for cooperation in the fight against the Taliban as he speaks to village males on December 4, 2009 in Sar Hawza, Afghanistan. Soldiers from the U.S Army have been training and are patrolling with the ANP in order to help them become self sufficient in the region.
  6. SAR HAWZA, AFGHANISTAN - DECEMBER 04: Males from the village gather in a school yard to listen to Brig. Gen. Dowlat Kahn (R), provincial head of the Afghan Nation Police (ANP) for Paktika Province, as he calls for cooperation in the fight against the Taliban on December 4, 2009 in Sar Hawza, Afghanistan. Soldiers from the U.S Army have been training and are patrolling with the ANP in order to help them become self sufficient in the region.
  7. RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - A displaced woman sits on the ground while waiting in line at a repatriation centre in the western city of Peshawar, located in the North West Frontier Province on April 30, 2009. U.S. President Barack Obama said on April 29 that Pakistan's greatest threat was internal, and not from long-time rival India, as Pakistan troops took back a key town to halt a Taliban advance on the capital.
  8. RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - Supporters of the Sunni Tehreek religious party take part in an anti-Taliban and anti-U.S. march in Lahore June 10, 2009. The army launched a fresh operation against Taliban fighters in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, a day after a suicide attack on a luxury hotel in Peshawar killed at least nine people, including two foreign U.N. workers.
  9. RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - Pakistani victims of a train bomb blast are helped off a vehicle outside a hospital in Quetta June 11, 2009. Separatists in the southwest province of Baluchistan delivered a bloody reminder that the Taliban aren't Pakistan's only worry , claiming responsibility for a bomb blast on a train that killed one person and wounded 35 on Thursday.
  10. Afghan police officers display rockets allegedly seized from Taliban militants at a police compound in Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009.
  11. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai speaks to The Associated Press at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that he's willing to talk with the Taliban chief in a bid to bring peace to the country if the move would have the backing of the United States and other international partners.
  12. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai speaks to The Associated Press at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that he's willing to talk with the Taliban chief in a bid to bring peace to the country if the move would have the backing of the United States and other international partners.
  13. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, seen during a press conference with The Associated Press, at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that he's willing to talk with the Taliban chief in a bid to bring peace to the country if the move would have the backing of the United States and other international partners.
  14. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai speaks to The Associated Press at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. Karzai said that he would do "whatever it takes" to bring peace, including meeting with Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
  15. Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai speaks to The Associated Press at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. Karzai said that he would do "whatever it takes" to bring peace, including meeting with Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
  16. An Italian soldier with the NATO led- International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) remains alert as blankets and sacks of rice, provided by Italian soldiers, are distributed to former Taliban members, in Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009.

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