Ayaz Gul VOA News April 15, 2019 ISLAMABAD — American and Taliban officials have indicated their months-long peace dialogue remains on track, despite the intensification of hostilities in Afghanistan that came with the start of the insurgent group’s spring offensive. U.S.-backed Afghan security forces and insurgents have both claimed they have inflicted heavy casualties on each
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan April 8, 2019 Afghanistan will send a government delegation for talks with the Taliban in Qatar, in a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the nearly 18-year war, even as the militants said participants will attend the meeting only in a “personal capacity.” U.S. and Taliban negotiators have held several
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 7, 2019 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has established a new leadership council comprising government officials, opposition politicians and civil society representatives that will manage national peace efforts and put together an “effective” team of negotiators for possible talks with the Taliban insurgency. Addressing the inaugural meeting of what is
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 5, 2019 The U.S. envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban to end nearly 18 years of war in Afghanistan has arrived for talks in neighboring Pakistan. Zalmay Khalilzad met on April 5 with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who “reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the peace process,” a
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 3, 2019 When the United States’ special representative for Afghan reconciliation arrived in Kabul this week amid ongoing peace talks with the Taliban, the country’s national-unity government was in disarray. Zalmay Khalilzad met with the leaders of the government, President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah,
Michael Hughes: The peace-in-name-only agreement U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been negotiating with Pakistan’s foot soldiers if implemented could accomplish the miraculous by potentially making Afghanistan even more unstable – a notion supported by risks highlighted in a newly-released U.S. inspector general’s report. The risks, however, might be understated given Khalilzad wants to play the
By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan April 2, 2019 KABUL — The U.S. envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban has played down recent tensions with the Western-backed Kabul government, telling RFE/RL that he hopes 2019 will be the “year of peace.” In an interview in the Afghan capital on April 1, Zalmay Khalilzad said
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 1, 2019 The U.S. envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban to end nearly 18 years of war in Afghanistan has returned to Kabul ahead of a new round of talks. Fereydoun Khuzon, deputy spokesman for the Afghan presidential administration, told RFE/RL on April 1 that he expects the visit of
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan March 27, 2019 The U.S. envoy seeking a peace deal with the Taliban to end nearly 18 years of war in Afghanistan is heading back to the region amid growing tensions between Washington and Kabul over the absence of the Afghan government from the talks. “I’m on the road again to
Tolo News: “About the issue that how much the Afghan government was in the loop about the US-Taliban talks in Qatar… based on my judgment, it (the Afghan government) was in the loop. Mr. (Zalmay) Khalilzad had contacted President (Ashraf) Ghani at least once every day and had briefed him, but what has been discussed between