Ayaz Gul
VOA News
January 14, 2018
Afghanistan government negotiators and Taliban officials have reportedly opened “unofficial” talks in Turkey to discuss “mechanisms” that could pave the ground for initiating a formal peace dialogue.
Participants of the meeting have told Afghan media the talks have been arranged in cooperation with the Turkish government.
Officials from the Taliban’s Qatar-based office and other insurgent groups are said to be among the attendees. The Afghan government has not commented on the discussions.
But a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has rejected the reports about the group’s participation in talks in Turkey.
The reported peace meeting in Turkey comes as a U.N. Security Council delegation is in Kabul holding talks with Afghan leaders on security and political issues in the war-torn country. Government officials and the visiting U.N. delegation have been tight lipped about the ongoing meetings.
Authorities have tightened security in the embattled Afghan capital and diverted traffic in key roads to safeguard movements of the 15-member delegation.
The visit comes as security around Afghanistan has deteriorated, with government forces and Taliban insurgents engaged in staging battlefield operations and guerrilla attacks.
Local Politics also an issue
Afghan political tensions are also running high as the governor of the northern Balkh province has refused to quit office, in defiance of a presidential decree that ousted him a month ago and appointed his successor.
Attah Muhammad Noor, a powerful regional political figure, has been ruling the province for more than 13 years and insists President Ashraf Ghani has not authority to dismiss him.
Noor maintains his Jamiat-e-Islami party is a key member of the central coalition government and had put forward certain demands for Ghani to meet before he steps down from the governor’s office.
The political stand off has negatively impacted an already struggling Afghan economy, according to the business community, sparking historic devaluation of the local currency.
The Afghan government is to host an international meeting early next month in which it is expected to present its “comprehensive strategy” for promoting peace talks with armed groups fighting Afghan forces and their international backers.
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It has turned into a routine joke of the day- does it mean anything ?????
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The savage invaders keep prolonging anarchies all across the country- and then the same cowards couple it to the
mass media as loving peace overtures.
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The thugs and thug-mars are ensuring their own military superiority.
And the stupid neighboring, so called “Islamic countries”, are enjoying the free freak shows in the midst- laughing it all whole-heartedly as if nothing is happening.
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Does ignoring savageries in the midst turn you into a guilty “savage party” as well ?????
I say “yes”, %100- the coward invaders have turned the people of the region Into confused zombies.
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It is truelly sad and disheartening !
They are all acting like mental cases- nothing to offer- all to the delight of the savage invaders.
And the savage invaders are keeping hammering away like retarded maniacs.
They have all, in the jungle, turned into of into walking zombies.
The English song writer said it right-
“BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE”.
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Listen to it- a reflection of the ages.
-it is a mix of good and bad in the jungle. You find it even on prairies of flat England- as the composer sings it along heartfully.