The Taliban have reached out to a former Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and Russia in an attempt to fulfill their commitment to build a "inclusive" administration and crush holdouts opposing their rule as murderous mayhem continued outside Kabul airport, with thousands of scared Afghans attempting to flee.
Little in the Taliban's past implies that they are willing to compromise on their hardline Islamist policies.
Mr. Karzai, a deft politician who clashed with the US as president over drone strikes, corruption accusations, and other matters, has stepped into the gap left by President Ashraf Ghani's departure a week ago. He has met with Taliban commanders, including Khalil Haqqani, a US-designated terrorist, and is collaborating closely with Abdullah Abdullah.
Mullah Abdul Rahman Mansour, a Taliban leader identified as Kabul's interim governor, met with Mr. Karzai and Mr. Abdullah over the weekend. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's main diplomat and a senior official in the group's government in the 1990s, was among an increasing number of senior Taliban spotted in Kabul in recent days to negotiate the design of the new administration.
Although Taliban leaders were primarily discussing among themselves to prepare for more formal discussions, Ahmadullah Waseq, a deputy in the Taliban's cultural affairs committee, said Saturday that they would engage with other groups to establish an inclusive administration acceptable to all Afghans.
But how can we be sure?