Ayaz Gul VOA News May 1, 2019 ISLAMABAD — The United States and the Taliban have begun a new round of negotiations in Doha, Qatar, in a bid to advance peace efforts in Afghanistan and to urge the insurgent group to participate in an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue. U.S. special reconciliation envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, led the U.S.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 29, 2019 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has opened a four-day Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, with more than 3,200 delegates seeking to agree on a common approach to peace talks with the Taliban. The Loya Jirga bringing together politicians, tribal elders, and other prominent figures was overshadowed by no-shows by
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 28, 2019 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Sunday peace in Afghanistan is key to increasing economic connectivity with Central Asian countries under China’s global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), of which Islamabad is a major beneficiary. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told a gathering of business leaders in Beijing that leaders from
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 28, 2019 Afghanistan is scheduled on April 29 to convene a rare Loya Jirga — a traditional gathering of elders, religious scholars, and prominent Afghans — with more than 2,000 people from across the country having been invited to discuss U.S.-led peace efforts. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s Special Envoy Omar
1TV: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has asked former Jihadi leader Abdu Rabur Rasool Sayaf to chair the upcoming consultative Loya Jirga on peace due to begin on Monday. Participants from 32 provinces have arrived in Kabul to attend the four-day assembly under a large tent near Polytechnic University. Around 3,000 people are expected to attend the
1TV: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif admitted that Iran had also opened dialogue with the Taliban but said that the US push for a deal with the group was “seriously wrong.” “An attempt to exclude everybody and just talk to the Taliban has alienated the government, has alienated the region, has alienated everybody else and it
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 25, 2019 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan says it is “highly dismayed” at the recent surge in hostilities in Afghanistan “from all sides,” warning it would harm ongoing efforts to bring peace to the war-ravaged neighboring country. Prime Minister Imran Khan issued the statement Thursday as the United States makes diplomatic efforts to
Jeff Seldin VOA News April 24, 2019 Ayaz Gul in Islamabad contributed to this report. WASHINGTON — A peace treaty to end more than 17 years of war in Afghanistan could usher in a new era of instability and erase many of the gains made by international reconstruction efforts, a key U.S. official cautioned Wednesday.
Tolo News: Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah is firm on his decision of boycotting the Grand Consultative Jirga for Peace, an official of Abdullah’s office said, adding that he has been invited by the Presidential Palace to attend the event but he has rejected the invitation. Head of Abdullah’s Office, Abdul Qahar Abid, said a team was
Ariana: Moscow will host a trilateral meeting on Afghan peace on Thursday between Russia, China, and the United States. On Wednesday, the Russian embassy in Kabul said in a statement that the meeting will be held at special representatives’ level in Moscow on April 25. According to the statement, the direct U.S.-Taliban peace talks and the