Afghan police and US soldiers secure scene of gunbattle
Riz Khan

Inside the Taliban

Two people with first-hand knowledge of the Taliban share their divergent views.

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What vision does the Taliban have for the future of Afghanistan? [GALLO/GETTY]

What kind of Afghanistan does the Taliban want and is their vision for the nation one that is sustainable?

The so-called peace jirga concluded earlier this month with participants calling for a permanent council to explore the opening of peace talks.

So far, the US, which has some 94,000 troops in the country, has balked at the idea of including the Taliban in any type of national dialogue.

Those who support reaching out and including the Taliban, say the group is part of Afghanistan’s political reality and their fight is aimed only at the foreign troops occupying the country.

On Wednesday’s Riz Khan we get two divergent views of the Taliban. Veteran journalist and author Jere Van Dyk was captured and imprisoned by the Taliban in 2008. He recounts his 45-day ordeal and his behind-the-scenes view of the Taliban in Captive.

From Kabul, Abdul Salam Zaeef served as the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan prior to the US invasion in 2001. As a Taliban envoy he consulted regularly with the organisation’s leader, Mohammed Omar.

We will ask them what the Taliban really wants and whether or not the US strategy for defeating the group will work.

You can join the conversation. Call in with your questions and comments on Wednesday, June 23, at our live time of 1630GMT. Repeats air at 2130GMT, and the next day at 0230GMT and 1130GMT.