'Talking to the Taleban - Twelve Years Late', 2013

Pen and ink with watercolour by Steve Bell, 2013.

This cartoon was published in 'The Guardian' on 19 June 2013. It shows nine vignettes in a black frame. The first five are of explosions and destruction. The final four are reproductions of Bell's earlier cartoons satirising the war in Afghanistan (2001-2014). They ask the question: 'What was the point of all that war business?'

There is also a warning about the deteriorating situation in Syria and the revolt against Bashar al-Assad, reflecting the concern felt in the United Kingdom that Britain may be draw into that conflict.

The cartoon was published after the news that the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation were looking to open peace talks with the Taleban in June 2013, in order to secure a peaceful long-term settlement in the country.

Copyright Steve Bell 2013 - All Rights Reserved www.belltoons.co.uk/reuse