According to a report by Al Jazeera on it’s Web site a plan is being considered to pay up to $500 million to Taliban fighters to persuade them to lay down their arms. In advance of an international conference in London to discuss Afghanistan's future on Thursday Japan the U.S. and Britain are said to be leading the proposal.
The scheme would offer cash jobs and other incentives to the Taliban and fighters in other armed groups. "The sum could be as much as between $500 million and $1bn over the next five years" Al Jazeera's James Bays reporting from London said. He said the money would be used to persuade individual Taliban fighters that they are better off on the government's side rather than fighting on the side of the Taliban. Parts of the funds would be spent on projects to develop the fighters' villages and building roads to their communities he said.
Wahid Muzhda a Kabul-based security analyst said Wednesday the removal of the men from the list was not likely to persuade other Taliban militants to leave the fight. He said all five were relatively low-level or already had turned on the militant group. "These people are not fighters now and they weren't powerful commanders then" he said. "This won't have any effect on peace or stability. It won't give confidence to the Taliban."