A roadside bomb kills five Polish soldiers in Southwest Afghanistan Wednesday. It was Poland's largest loss of life in a single incident since it joined the NATO-led coalition of foreign troops almost a decade ago. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.<br/> A very different scene earlier in the week when some 50 Taliban insurgents handed over their weapons in Kandahar -- considered the birthplace of the Taliban. They decided to give up the fight and join the Afghan government.<br/> In fact over the past week 350 Taliban insurgents have surround their arms, says Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson in Kabul who was made available to Reuters by the Pentagon.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGADIER GENERAL CARSTEN JACOBSON SAYING:<br/> "I have heard a lot of signals over the last days and weeks. One of the biggest ones obviously being whether the Taliban will open a bureau and whether the Taliban will thereby officially enter the talks process."<br/> With the war in Afghanistan now more than 10 years old, the ultimate ending will not come on the battlefield.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGADIER GENERAL CARSTEN JACOBSON SAYING:<br/> "At the end of the day to end the conflict, to end the insurgency, talks are needed and necessary."<br/> US officials tell Reuters that diplomacy, which has reached a delicate stage in recent weeks, still remains a long shot in Afghanistan. Among the complications: U.S. troops are drawing down and will be mostly gone by the end of 2014, potentially reducing the incentive for the Taliban to negotiate.<br/> Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters
