The Taliban and Afghan government negotiators launched historic peace talks on Saturday, aiming to end decades of war through a political settlement that would be unprecedented in the country’s recent history.

Negotiations will be long and complicated; there is a yawning gulf between the Taliban’s vision of an austerely Islamic state and the government’s commitment to the constitution that guarantees democracy and women’s rights, even if its implementation is mixed.

But in opening remarks the head of the Taliban delegation, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, promised patience, and the leader of the Kabul team, former national CEO Abdullah Abdullah, admitted “the current conflict has no winner through war”.