The weather has turned again here in eastern Pennsylvania to a rainy, warm kind of thing that promises to create a great deal of slush. It is my final day here. Tomorrow a plane leaves Newark for London and I expect to be on it.

Allow me to turn to events in Afghanistan, where Kelley has gone and I expect has already arrived. Reports this morning indicate the capture in Pakistan of another supposed member of the Quetta Shura, the core leadership of the Taliban. The Washington Post reports Maulavi Abdul Kabir may not have been a member of the shura; the New York Times is unequivocal that he is a member. Either way, it appears that the arrest of the Taliban military chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signaled a change in orientation for the Pakistani intelligence community, which may see its links with the Afghan Taliban as an overall liability. Baradar's arrest opened a series of similar grabs that so far has collared three other influential Taliban figures.

On the down side, the Dutch, it seems, are destined to leave Afghanistan following a political dispute over the country's involvement there that caused an irreparable rift in the Dutch ruling coalition. Dutch troops, about 2,000 Dutch troops are in Uruzgan province, doing much of the same kind of work done by the kind of team Kelley is serving with in Paktia province. Uruzgan is also the scene of another unfortunate bombing that killed several civilians. This AP report suggests a domino effect that may result in other countries pulling out, with Australia perhaps first to go.

Finally, here's a more nuanced view of Al Haig than my hamhanded commentary last post. Enjoy.

P.S. The photo above is of the flue, I guess you'd call it, of an old stone forge near Suedberg, Pa.