US, Taliban push for peace in second day of fresh talks
DOHA: The US and the Taliban were seeking to thrash out elements of a deal to bring a close to Afghanistan’s 18-year conflict in the second day of renewed talks in Doha yesterday.
The US, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban in 2001, wants to withdraw thousands of troops and turn the page on its longest ever war.
But it would first seek assurances from the insurgents that they would renounce al-Qaeda and stop other militants like the Islamic State group using the country as a haven.
The talks, now in their eighth round, began on Saturday and were due to resume yesterday morning, US and Taliban sources said.
A Taliban source also said efforts were underway to organise a direct meeting between US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban cofounder Mullah Baradar, who heads the movement’s political wing.
A coalition led by Washington ousted the Taliban in late 2001 accusing it of harbouring al-Qaeda jihadists who claimed the Sept 11 attacks against the US that killed almost 3,000 people.
But despite a rapid conclusion to the conventional phase of the war, the Taliban have proved formidable insurgents, bogging down US troops for years.
Washington is hoping to strike a peace deal with the Taliban by Sept 1 — ahead of Afghan polls due the same month, and US presidential elections due in 2020.
“We are pursuing a peace agreement not a withdrawal agreement, a peace agreement that enables withdrawal,” Mr Khalilzad tweeted on Friday as he arrived in Doha after talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad.
“Our presence in Afghanistan is conditions-based, and any withdrawal will be conditions-based.”
In another sign of progress, the Afghan government has formed a negotiating team for separate peace talks with the Taliban that diplomats hope could be held as early as later this month.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that an initial deal to end the war would see the US force in Afghanistan reduced to as low as 8,000 from the current level of around 14,000.
In exchange, the Taliban would abide by a ceasefire, renounce al-Qaeda, and talk to the Kabul administration.
An Afghan official hinted last week that the government of President Ashraf Ghani was preparing for direct talks with the Taliban. However, no details about any talks have yet to be officially announced.