WASHINGTON – Top US diplomat for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad held directtalks with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar to discuss ways to endthe war, a New York Times report said on Saturday, with militants sayingthe meeting also discussed “end of occupation”.
It was the second ever meeting between Taliban and top American officialsas the White House pushed for direct talks with the Taliban, seeking to endthe longest war in the American history.The war has claimed live of more than 2,300 troops, including more than1,800 death as a result of hostile action. More than 20,000 Americanservice-members have also been wounded in the 17-year-old war.
Khalilzad, who served as US ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, wasappointed as President Trump’s special adviser to Afghanistan last monthand tasked with try to bring the Afghan government and the Taliban to areconciliation. Last week, he also visited Pakistan, which, the reportsaid, was seen crucial to end conflict with the Taliban.
The NYT, quoting officials and a Taliban statement, said in its reportKhalilzad flew to Kabul on Saturday to meet the Afghan president, AshrafGhani, after his Friday meeting with the Taliban representatives. Astatement from Taliban said that six of its members attended the meeting ina direct contact with the American officials that Western diplomats havedescribed as “talks before talks”.
In a statement issued in Kabul on Saturday, Taliban said that they “talkedabout the end of occupation and peaceful resolution for the Afghan issue”and both sides “agreed to continue their meetings in the future”.The NYT said that Khalilzad did to respond to request for comments on hismeeting with the Taliban and it was not entirely clear what the two sidesdiscussed. Taliban have long said that withdrawal of American troops fromAfghanistan was essential for any negotiations to end the war.
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The report quoted an unnamed Taliban source as saying that the meeting wasexploratory and that the discussions had included an “end of theoccupation” as well as removing Taliban leaders from sanctions lists.
“The United States was trying to make a meeting between the Taliban andAfghan government happen, but the Taliban did not accept that,” NazarMohammad Mutmaeen, an Afghan analyst told the NYT, who has served as anofficial during the Taliban government and has still maintained contactswith them. He said that the meeting was positive step toward a peaceprocess.
The meeting in Doha came days after Taliban issued a statement, calling onAfghans to boycott parliamentary elections next week. – APP
