The US and the Taliban on Saturday said they had made substantial headway in negotiations to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.
Zalmay Khalilzad, who was named by US President Donald Trump’s administration to find a way out of the war, held six days of talks with Taliban representatives in Qatar.
“Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We made significant progress on vital issues,” Khalilzad wrote on Twitter.
Khalilzad — who traveled to Qatar after talks in Afghanistan and its key neighbors — said he was returning to Kabul to discuss the negotiations.
“We will build on the momentum and resume talks shortly. We have a number of issues left to work out,” he tweeted. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and ‘everything’ must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire.”
While he has not given details, floated proposals include a withdrawal by the US of its troops in return for Taliban guarantees not to shelter foreign militants — the initial reason for the US intervention.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that he had heard “encouraging news” from Khalilzad.
“The U.S. is serious about pursuing peace, preventing #Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism & bringing forces home,” Pompeo said. “Working with the Afghan gov’t & all interested parties, the U.S. seeks to strengthen Afghan sovereignty, independence & prosperity.”
Trump has been eager to end the US’ longest war, which was launched shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. He has already said he will pull half of the 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that while there was “progress” at the meetings, reports of an agreement on a ceasefire and talks with Kabul “are not true.”
“Since issues are of critical nature and need comprehensive discussions, therefore it was decided that talks about unresolved matters will resume in similar future meetings,” Mujahid said in a statement.
However, a senior Taliban commander sounded optimistic after the talks with the Afghan-born Khalilzad.
“The US has accepted many of our demands and both sides are very much agreed on major points, but some points are still under discussion,” the Taliban commander told reporters on condition of anonymity by phone from Pakistan. “We are moving forward and a lot of progress has been made so far.”
“Efforts are under way to find some middle ground to solve the remaining disputed issues. The Afghan government is one of them,” he said.
Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also hailed the dialogue, tweeting: “This progress marks a significant step in the history of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.”
The Taliban in the past have refused to deal with the internationally recognized government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Abdullah Abdullah, the de facto prime minister of Afghanistan, recently voiced frustration that the Taliban was excluding the Kabul government, warning that a peace process “cannot take place by proxy.”
Afghan authorities have put a brave face on the negotiations, saying that Kabul has already taken charge of security.
Ghani on Thursday last week said that 45,000 Afghan security forces have died since September 2014 — a stunning casualty rate of more than 28 dead per day that analysts say has contributed to low morale.
Ghani faces elections in July, which could come at the height of the Taliban fighting season unless a ceasefire is reached.
The length and apparent breadth of the Taliban talks are unprecedented, signaling that the US and the Taliban see a path forward.
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