Taliban say no pact struck with US over deadline to end Afghan war
KABUL: A three-day meeting between the Taliban and the US special envoy for Afghanistan to pave the way for peace talks ended with no agreement, the group said a day after the diplomat declared a deadline of April 2019 to end a 17-year-long war.
Afghanistan’s security situation has worsened since Nato formally ended combat operations in 2014, as Taliban insurgents battle to reimpose strict law following their overthrow in 2001 at the hands of Us-led troops.
Leaders of the hardline group met US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad at their political headquarters in Qatar last week for the second time in the past month, said spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid.
“These were preliminary talks and no agreement was reached on any issue,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Taliban leaders had not accepted any deadline set by the US to wrap up talks, three Taliban officials added.
The US embassy in Kabul declined to comment.
Khalilzad, an Afghan-born US diplomat authorised by US President Donald Trump’s government to lead peace negotiations with the Taliban, on Sunday said he hoped to cut a peace deal with the group by April 20.
That deadline coincides with the date set for presidential elections in Afghanistan.
Two senior US officials confirmed that the second round of peace talks ended last week and the Taliban expected Khalilzad to visit Qatar for a meeting before the end of 2018.
“The second round of talks went on for three days. This clearly proves that both sides are exercising patience and caution during their diplomatic engagement,” a US official said on condition of anonymity.
But Khalilzad’s public statement that the Taliban believe they will “not win militarily” angered senior members of the group, who warned US officials against mixed messages that could muddle the peace process.
“We were astonished to see Khalilzad’s statement in Kabul on Sunday.
Taliban leaders had not accepted any deadline set by the US to wrap up talks, says the Taliban officials