U.S. likely agreed to set timetable for troops withdrawal – HPC

Afghanistan High Peace Council (HPC) says the United States has probably reached on an agreement to set a timetable for withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, following the peace talks with Taliban delegation in Qatar.

According to HPC, the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, the release of Taliban prisoners, and removal of some Taliban figures from the UN blacklist are the key conditions of the armed group for entering into peace talks with the Afghan government.

Haji Din Mohammad, the Deputy Head of HPC said that they have met with the Taliban delegation on the sidelines of the recent Moscow summit and that the Taliban has shown the intent to end the ongoing war.

More and more

U.S., Taliban to discuss ‘Withdrawal of American Forces’ in next meeting

A senior former member of the Taliban says the U.S. delegation and Taliban representatives are expected to discuss withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in their next meeting.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that a meeting has taken place between a senior U.S. diplomat and Taliban representatives in Doha, capital of Qatar which ended with very positive signals.

According to the report, the meeting has happened between a U.S. delegation led by Alice Wells, deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and Taliban representatives in a hotel in Doha, last week.

The report noted that the talks had been held without the presence of Afghan government officials.

Citing a Taliban official, Reuters also said that the talks took place with the approval of the leadership council. The two sides had discussed proposals to allow the Taliban free movement in two provinces where they would not be attacked, an idea that President Ashraf Ghani has already rejected. They also discussed Taliban participation in the Afghan government.”

More and more