Where Have All The Taliban Gone?

An article in today's Washington Post cites General Petraeus' claim that UN forces are in the final stages of clearing a key area of Taliban fighters. I would be the last person to ascribe duplicity to this officer. I would, instead, state that he and the other UN commanders are fooling themselves.
The absence of Taliban fighters does not mean they have been killed or captured. It means they have vacated the area. The Taliban know the days of US/UN forces operating in Afghanistan are numbered. Why risk the deaths of their fighters at this time? They will be needed after the Infidels depart.
It should be clear to one and all by this time that the Karzai government, as it is currently constituted, will never succeed in wresting control from the Taliban once UN forces leave. So, given this condition, why should the Taliban forces commit their forces to fighting the "occupiers" in any but those battles where victory is most clearly assured?
No, General Petraeus, the absence of Taliban fighters from those areas where your forces are the strongest should not be seen as an indicator you have defeated the Taliban fighters. They have melted into the hills and across the border into Pakistan awaiting your departure. Then they will return and the country will be theirs.