Turkey talks were an intelligence game to sabotage real peace process: Afghan Taliban
Shares
<link>KABUL - The Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hebatullah has reportedly approved the visit of a Taliban delegation to Islamabad for preliminary talks on exploring ways to revive peace talks.
Sources privy of the development within the Taliban ranks have told Reuters that supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada had approved Monday’s exploratory meeting in Islamabad on restarting talks to end the war that kills thousands of Afghans each year.
It is yet not clear if the talks had any outcome or not but Monday’s visit by Taliban delegation to Islamabad followed an unofficial meeting organized in Turkey.
The Taliban group spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid had earlier rejected the participation of the group’s representatives in the unofficial talks that took place in Turkey.
“This is an intelligence game that aims at defaming and damaging the real peace process in Afghanistan,” he had said in a statement.
A Presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi had also said that the individuals who have participated in the talks with the Taliban members in Turkey are not representing the government of Afghanistan.
An Afghan official Humayoun Jarir who represents the Afghan high peace council in the meeting said informal talks are underway with the Taliban group under an initiative of the government of Turkey to start reconciliation process.
He expressed optimisms regarding the launch of the informal talks and said the Taliban group also supports intra-Afghan talks in a bid to end the ongoing violence in the country.
