Ninth round of U.S., Taliban peace talks start in Qatar

KABUL – America and the Taliban officers resumed talks in Qatar on Thursday to agency up a deal enabling the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in return for the Taliban safety ensures, the Taliban and senior U.S. official mentioned.

After 18 years of warfare and months of direct talks with the Taliban leaders, the US seems to be on the cusp of reaching a deal that would permit a pullout of overseas forces adopted by a ceasefire between the warring sides.

Two Taliban spokesmen mentioned the ninth spherical of talks between the US and the Taliban representatives began on Thursday night, and a senior U.S. official aware about the peace negotiations mentioned the “essential assembly iron out smaller particulars had begun” in Qatar’s capital metropolis, Doha.

About 20,000 overseas troops, most of them American, are actually in Afghanistan as a part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to coach, help and advise Afghan forces. Some U.S. forces perform counter-terrorism operations.

U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on Tuesday the U.S. navy function in Afghanistan has mainly was a “ridiculous” police power in an indication that he’s open to a U.S. troop drawdown there after 18 years of warfare.

Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born U.S. diplomat who has been main the negotiations with the Taliban since final yr is scheduled to journey to Kabul after his talks with the Taliban officers.

“Khalilzad will inform the highest Afghan leaders concerning the peace deal after which finalise a declaration to finish the warfare in Afghanistan,” the U.S. official mentioned on situation of anonymity.

The 2 sides have held discussions over a possible settlement on 4 key points: a Taliban assure that it’ll not permit overseas militants to make use of Afghanistan as a launchpad to conduct assaults exterior the nation, the whole withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces, an intra-Afghan dialogue and a everlasting ceasefire.

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The Taliban now management extra territory than at any level since the US bombed them out of energy in 2001 for sheltering al Qaeda, the group blamed for the Sept. 11 assaults on the US.

It has demanded an entire withdrawal of overseas troops from Afghanistan and has rejected holding direct talks with the Afghan authorities.

President Ashraf Ghani who’s looking for reelection in September mentioned on Thursday the Afghan authorities could be current in any potential peace negotiations with the Taliban as they transfer to a different part of the method.

Two American service members have been killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, bringing the variety of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan to no less than 14 in 2019.

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