Eighteen years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, the conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and cost hundreds of trillions of dollars. As a military solution seems more distant than ever, a diplomatic answer may be brewing. Washington, which has long insisted that peace talks take place between the Afghan government and the Taliban, has taken a seat at the <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/us-envoy-to-hold-new-taliban-talks-this-month-1.869196">negotiation table</a>, but intra-Afghan talks between Kabul and the Taliban have yet to take place. As diplomatic efforts develop, Afghans are trying to get on with their lives and rebuild a country that has been <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/what-use-is-it-all-surge-in-kabul-violence-leaves-afghans-celebrating-eid-in-hospital-1.870988">wracked by decades of violence</a>. This week on Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young speaks with <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/topics/Author/Stefanie%20Glinski">Stefanie Glinski</a> who is currently reporting for <em>The National</em> in Afghanistan. International Crisis Group's Graeme Smith also joins the episode to talk about peace talk efforts. <strong>Listen to last week's episode:</strong>
