Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 26, 2020 Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan, has predicted the Taliban will not accept a permanent truce until a political deal is reached with the Afghan government. “I think you’re right that the Talibs will not accept a cease-fire, comprehensive and permanent, until there’s a political settlement,” Khalilzad said
By Ayesha Tanzeem VOA News September 25, 2020 ISLAMABAD – Even as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani reiterated his demand for a cease-fire, few watching the peace talks in Doha expected a positive response from the Taliban. “[T]he Afghan people have a clear and urgent priority: a cease-fire. An urgent end to the violence will more than
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 24, 2020 Afghan government forces claim to have killed 65 Taliban militants during a battle in the nation’s eastern provinces as fighting continues to rage between the two sides while they hold peace talks. The latest battle took place on September 23 after the Taliban fighters stormed a military headquarters
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 24, 2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has urged the world to help his country achieve peace amid talks with the Taliban aimed at ending nearly two decades of conflict. In a prerecorded speech to the UN General Assembly delivered on September 23, Ghani said the Afghan government had demonstrated the
Reuters: The Taliban’s stance on women’s rights should concern the world, one of Afghanistan’s top female diplomats has warned, as the government holds power-sharing talks with the Islamist group that once banned girls from going to school. Click here to read more (external link).
Xinhua: Three members of a family were killed and three others wounded in a Taliban ambush in northeastern Badakhshan province on Thursday, provincial police spokesman Sanaullah Rohani said. All the victims are civilians, the official said, adding the incident happened at about 4:00 a.m. local time in Darayim district when a villager Shah Mohammad along
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 23, 2020 A number of Taliban prisoners who were released by the Afghan government as a condition for peace talks have returned to the battlefield, lead Kabul negotiator Abdullah Abdullah has said. Abdullah, the head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, said negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar have
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 22, 2020 A senior U.S. envoy for Afghanistan on September 22 warned that violence there remains unacceptably high and Washington expects more setbacks in ongoing peace talks between Taliban militants and the Afghan government. Veteran diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad’s comments come as the warring sides remain far apart on even basic
The Hindu: India should engage with the Taliban and fully support the peace process, says former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. In an interview to The Hindu, Mr. Karzai, who remains involved in the process, spoke of his hopes from the Intra Afghan negotiations that began in Doha this month, and the future of Afghanistan as
Bloomberg (Editorial): Trump would clearly prefer to get troop levels to zero. That’s the wrong goal. The U.S. still has important interests in the region, including preventing terrorist attacks, keeping oil supplies flowing and limiting Iran’s sway beyond its borders. Click here to read more (external link).