A Western official in Kabul confirmed the United States was in direct contact with the Taliban following a sea change in American policy this year.  Marc Grossman, the replacement for special envoy Richard Holbrooke, has been nicknamed "Mr. Reconciliation" and told to focus efforts on trying to facilitate a political deal which would ease a US exit. "Those are no longer preconditions, they are being seen as negotiated outcomes," said the Western official. In February, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said the US would no longer insist on preconditions such as the need for the Taliban to renounce al-Qaeda and accept the Afghan constitution. Such declarations could be made after a deal had been reached. The pursuit of "reconciliation" in Afghanistan will be high on the agenda in talks between Mr. Obama and Mr. Cameron in London next week.

Blonder remembers the triumphant and tiring day vividly. From the rifle fire Sgt. Frank Simmons bestowed upon the enemy, killing "countless' insurgents with single shots to the head or chest, to the accurate sniper fire of Staff Sgt. Richard Powell, Blonder said he'll wear the Navy Cross as a representation of the Marines he fought alongside that day. The victory disrupted several Taliban unit networks, which Blonder said crippled Taliban spirits in southern Afghanistan.