The United States could still achieve a positive outcome after 6,000 days of war in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday, but it won't happen on the battlefield.
"We do look toward a victory in Afghanistan," he said in Kabul. "Not a military victory — the victory will be a political reconciliation" between the Taliban and the Afghan government. He conceded the Taliban as a whole is not ready to make a deal, but said "there is interest on the Taliban side" among "those who are tired of fighting."
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