Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty February 5, 2019 Taliban representatives and an Afghan delegation led by former President Hamid Karzai have begun two days of talks in Moscow billed as part of an “intra-Afghan” peace process — despite the absence of Kabul government representatives and continued militant attacks back in Afghanistan. The gathering has been criticized
Michael Hughes: The opposing sides of the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland had engaged in talks for more than 15 years before reaching a historic peace settlement in 1998. Contrast this with the prospect that – within six days – an Afghan-turned-neoconservative cowboy and a group of Pakistani-backed radical Islamist insurgents negotiated a “framework agreement”
Ayaz Gul VOA News February 2, 2019 GHULAM KHAN, PAKISTAN-AFGHAN BORDER — Pakistan says a unilateral construction effort will have fenced off nearly half of its largely porous border with Afghanistan before the spring fighting season in the neighboring country. Military officials say the pace of the massive border security project has lately been accelerated to
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 31, 2019 A spokesman for the Taliban, which now reportedly controls nearly half of Afghanistan, has said that the group is not seeking to rule Afghanistan alone in any future government structure and wants to co-exist with current institutions, according to the Associated Press news agency. The statement by spokesman
Ron Synovitz Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 29, 2019 After six days of talks in Qatar with Taliban representatives, the U.S. special envoy on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, announced on January 28 that an agreement had been reached on a “framework” peace process to end the 17-year Afghan war. Khalilzad said the agreement calls for the
Tolo News: The population of Barmal is Pashtun, predominantly from the Kharoti and Wazir tribes. Barmal lies in an area of particularly rugged terrain. Barmal District Governor Rahmatullah said the issue is “concerning” and that it requires a “thorough investigation”. Click here to read more (external link). Related Pakistani Visa Can be Acquired with $200 in
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 28, 2019 ISLAMABAD — A top Russian diplomat is in Pakistan to discuss efforts to promote direct peace talks between warring sides in neighboring Afghanistan. Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov is visiting Islamabad after last week’s marathon talks between U.S. special representative for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 19, 2019 The Taliban has denied reports that it is prepared to resume talks with U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on ending Afghanistan’s 17-year war. Pakistani media had reported that a meeting in Islamabad was possible following talks in the Pakistani capital between Khalilzad and senior Pakistani officials, including Prime
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 18, 2019 U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi in Islamabad on January 18 to brief him on his recent efforts to resolve neighboring Afghanistan’s 17-year war, Pakistani officials said. Qureshi assured Khalilzad of Pakistan’s support for the peace process, which has suffered a
Ayaz Gul VOA News January 17, 2019 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has intensified efforts to keep the U.S.-led dialogue with the Afghan Taliban on track by attempting to arrange a meeting between the visiting chief American negotiator and insurgent representatives, highly placed sources told VOA Thursday. These official sources appeared confident about bringing the two sides to