VOA常速英语:塔利班的懦弱领导可能成为和平的转机

In Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan, a wave of suicide attacks continues to exact a brutal toll.

“The killing and maiming of thousands of Afghan civilians is deeply heroin and largely preventable.”

Yet despite the violents, some analysts say there are opportunities for peace.

A new study based on dozens of interviews with Taliban insiders suggests exploiting fractures within the group, professor Theo Farrell is co-author of the report.

Senior commanders who were, in a sense, using suicide attacks to build up their reputation.So there are large parts of the Taliban that are fully committed to the fight,but there is a potential here, nonetheless, to de-escalate the conflict."

That potential, according to Farrell, lies in the weakness of the Taliban’s leadership.

“The newer mayor, Haibatullah Akhundzada, is widely seen as a ‘weak and divisive leader’.Many of our interviewees referred to him simply as a symbolic leader.The real power in the Taliban lies elsewhere.And so, therefore, there is a view among the rank and file that, effectively, the movement has become leaderless."

Informal peace talks have taken place between the government and the Taliban leadership.But, senior Taliban commanders have demanded that the 13,000 NATO-led foreign troops in Afghanistan withdraw before formal talks begin.

Speaking in December, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the continuing bloodshed on Pakistan for failing to take on militant groups in its territory,a charge denied by Islamabad.

And some still provide sanctuary in support or tolerate these networks.As Mr. Kakazada, one of the key figures in the Taliban movement, recently said,If they did not have sanctuary in Pakistan, they would not last a month.’"

Farrell argues the senior Taliban leadership should be circumvented,enabling dissenting commanders to meet and forge a common purpose of ending the conflict.

Henry Ridgwell, for VOA news, London.