Afstan: Intelligent follow-up to Canadian success

A major military action with a smart follow-up in the context of the Taliban insurgency:

Taliban forces asked that the bodies of their dead fighters be returned yesterday after a weekend of bloody battles with Canadian and Afghan forces...

At least 22 bodies were returned by late yesterday, said Haji Niamatullah, a member of the Kandahar Provincial Council and part of the government's reconciliation program.

The rest, many of which had already been buried, were to be retrieved and handed over today, Niamatullah told The Canadian Press...

Following the weekend fighting in Panjwaii, relatives, friends and family members of the Taliban had also asked that the bodies be returned for burial.

As well, Afghan officials see the return as another gesture in hopes that the Taliban will reconcile with the government of Hamid Karzai.

Behind-the-scenes talks aimed at convincing the insurgents to put down their weapons in Panjwaii began late last week when moderate Taliban leaders requested negotiations with the United Nations or NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)...