U.S. envoy forges ahead with troubled Taliban peace deal

ISLAMABAD >> Washington’s envoy to Afghanistan on Saturday stressed the economic benefits of the peace deal with the Taliban, forging ahead with an agreement that has run into new political obstacles both in the U.S. and regionally.

Zalmay Khalilzad was wrapping up a weeklong trip that included stops in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and the Gulf State of Qatar, where the Taliban negotiators are headquartered.

The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has sought to stress the economic benefits of the peace deal throughout his tour. In a series of tweets early Saturday, the U.S. envoy said he had met with the Qatar Investment Authority and the Taliban’s chief negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani, in the tiny Gulf State’s capital of Doha.

“We agreed development plans in support of peace can never start too early,” Khalilzad tweeted.

However, Washington recently has become embroiled in a controversy over intelligence reports that Russia was paying money to insurgents with links to the Taliban to kill American and NATO soldiers.

The identity of the insurgents who took the bounty money is still vague, but the payments have been traced to Afghan drug lord Rahmatullah Azizi, who is living in Moscow, according to Afghan officials who spoke with The Associated Press.

The officials said the money was delivered through Azizi’s brother Wahidullah, who was the go-between for those facilitating the attacks on U.S. troops.

The New York Times first reported the U.S. intelligence claiming the payment of bounties as well as Azizi’s involvement.

Added to the uncertainty and delays swirling around the U.s.-taliban peace deal, the Pentagon released a report on Wednesday that questioned the Taliban’s commitment to end its ties with Al-qaida. The peace deal calls for the Taliban to fight against terrorist organizations and ensure Afghanistan would not be used again to attack U.S. interests or its allies. Critics of the deal say the militants can’t be trusted.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied contacts with Al-qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, saying the insurgents were committed to the peace deal.

Khalilzad embarked on his tour of the region last weekend, even as the rate of coronavirus infections in the United States soared and countries worldwide struggled with the dangers of reopening. He did not travel to Afghanistan citing the dangers of the pandemic and instead staged video conference calls with both Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his government partner, Abdullah Abdullah.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tested positive for COVID19 just 48 hours after meeting with Khalilzad. Both had been pictured wearing masks during their meeting Wednesday in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Qureshi said he developed a fever Friday and tested positive to the virus.

But he promised to “carry on” his official duties from home.