taliban

The death of Osama bin Laden has sparked fevered speculation in Afghanistan about whether it might help or hurt efforts to negotiate with the Taliban.

On Thursday, about 2,000 people gathered in Kabul to show their opposition to a deal.

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U.S. and NATO forces are pursuing a strategy of winning small pieces of territory from the Taliban and seeking to expand these "security bubbles" village by village.

As NATO faces a new 2014 deadline to wind down the war, the challenge is to turn these bubbles into something permanent.

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In a major military offensive, thousands of U.S. and Afghan forces are sweeping through the rural areas north and west of Kandahar province.

But they are finding few Taliban because they have either left the area or blended into the population. It may not be until next June before it's known whether the offensive was a success.

When Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was holding talks with Taliban leaders this week, his spokesman was quick to clarify the remarks: talks about talks, not actual "talks." The Taliban altogether denied it.

There's an underlying issue of trust -- the government broke promises to protect insurgents who laid down their arms.

Still, a council was formed to facilitate formal talks.