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The newly appointed Washington peace official met with Taliban representatives in Qatar on Friday, a person familiar with the rally said, as the Trump government stepped up efforts to prepare a roadmap for talks to end the war. at age 17 war in Afghanistan.
We can not immediately determine what the US envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, discussed with Taliban officials in Doha, the capital of Qatar. But this is the second time in four months that US authorities have met with representatives of the insurgency, after a successful three-day ceasefire in June.
In July, Alice Wells, deputy assistant secretary of the State Department for South and Central Asia, met with members of the Taliban Political Commission as part of what participants described as "discussions about discussions. "
The Taliban, who were ousted by an American invasion in 2001, demand the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and a government in Kabul that more accurately reflects their ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam.
Afghan officials in Kabul did not comment immediately on Friday's talks. In Washington, the State Department did not confirm that Khalilzad had met with Taliban officials. Officials said earlier this month that the envoy would lead a US delegation to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia from 4 to 14 October.
A spokesman for the department said Friday that Khalilzad had "held several meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore the best way to achieve a negotiated settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan. ".
Mr. Khalilzad was appointed Special Advisor to Afghanistan early last month by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The secretary described the "unique mission statement" of the former US ambassador to Kabul and Baghdad as "developing the opportunities to bring Afghans and Taliban to reconciliation".
The appointment of Khalilzad was seen in Washington and the region as an attempt to enhance the visibility of Afghan peace efforts and to introduce a sense of urgency in diplomacy aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement of the longest term. American War. He told other diplomats that he was looking to make substantial progress over the next 6 to 12 months, according to one person regularly in touch with his staff.
A man jogging at Al Bidda Park, Doha, Qatar. The US envoy for peacemaking in Afghanistan met with Taliban representatives in the Gulf nation on Friday, according to a person familiar with the rally.
Photo:
Kamran Jebreili / Associated Press
In recent days, Khalilzad has visited the Afghan capital and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to meet with government and military officials. Although the Taliban have a de facto political bureau in Doha, Western intelligence agencies believe that the majority of their top leaders are based in Pakistan.
The powerful Pakistani military has long regarded the Taliban as a substitute for their interests in Afghanistan, particularly to deter the influence of their great Indian enemy, experts say. At the same time, the Pakistani authorities deny having supported the insurgency.
For Islamabad, a military victory by the US and Afghan governments is almost impossible, and praised US efforts for a peace deal. Nevertheless, diplomats in Islamabad believe that Pakistan may wish the Taliban to get a bigger share of power in any future Afghan government than the American or Afghan leaders will accept.
After talks with the Taliban, Khalilzad is expected to return to Kabul on Saturday to brief the Afghan authorities. The Saudi news agency reported having met on Thursday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
On Monday, Khalilzad told the Afghan press that an inter-agency team made up of White House officials, Pentagon State Department officials, and US intelligence agencies had been formed to to work for peace and reconciliation efforts. He also urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to allow teams of negotiators to lead discussions.
The Afghan authorities will hold parliamentary elections next week in what the government of President Ashraf Ghani and the United States and other foreign allies see as an important step towards stabilizing the country and legitimizing the central government to Kabul.
However, the elections and the current efforts to get to the negotiating table are taking place as the costs for Afghan civilians continue to increase. The United Nations said this week that 8,050 Afghans had been killed or wounded in the first nine months of this year, most of the bloodshed inflicted by anti-government groups. The balance sheet reflects the "same extreme damage to civilians" as in the same period last year, he said.
– Courtney McBride in Washington contributed to this article.
