This is important becuase the fatwa issued by leading Pakistani clerics is exactly the opposite of what was desired by the Afghan government. The permission to conduct suicide attacks came against a backdrop of an on again, off again "peace conference" that the Afghan government has been trying to organize. Prospects for that conference now seem dead. Long War Journal: Afghan officials have resisted the Taliban's demand to be included in the conference, suspecting no doubt that the Taliban would subvert the original goal of obtaining a fatwa against suicide bombings, and the event has appeared to be destined for limbo. Meetings between Afghan and Pakistani religious scholars on the proposed conference have reflected division between the two groups, and as of a few weeks ago they had apparently agreed only to hold a joint conference in March on the issue of attacks on civilians, according to Xinhua. The picture became much clearer yesterday, however, when the head of Pakistan's...(Read Full Post)