KABUL – Afghan Taliban break silence over the Afghanistan peace talks withUS and the government.
Negotiators from the United States and the Taliban have resumed talks inDoha and are discussing “the signing of the peace deal and a ceremony forit” over the past two days, a Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in atweet early on Friday.
Shaheen said that the negotiations – which are led by the US special envoyZalmay Khalilzad and Taliban deputy Abdul Ghani Baradar – will continue forthe next few days.
These current talks have built on peace discussions that began last yearbut were scuttled by US President Donald Trump in early September followinga bombing in Kabul, claimed by the Taliban, that killed more than a dozenpeople, including a US service member.
A gradual withdrawal of the 13,000 US forces, and thousands of NATO troops,is part of the peace deal, according to sources familiar with the talks.
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As part of efforts to move the peace process forward, sources said, theTaliban leader has agreed on a reduction in violence for a period ofbetween seven to 10 days.
However, the Afghan government, which has been excluded from the US-Talibantalks, is insisting on a ceasefire before beginning intra-Afghannegotiations.
