U.S., Taliban resume Afghan peace talks
The top U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan met a senior Taliban leader in Qatar on Monday as the two sides resumed talks to end the 17 years of war despite the insurgents' continued refusal to deal with the Kabul government.
Zalmay Khalilzad, named last year to lead the U.S. peace effort, met Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and the movement's political chief, for the first time in Doha. Talks were expected to run for at least four days.
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"Just finished a working lunch with Mullah Baradar and his team. First time we've met. Now moving on to talks," Khalilzad tweeted.
Even with peace talks under way, the war in Afghanistan killed almost 4,000 civilians in 2018, including a record number of children, making it the single deadliest year for Afghan civilians since the United Nations began documenting casualties a decade ago.
Baradar arrived in Doha on Sunday, but sources said it was not clear whether he would attend all the meetings, which diplomats in Kabul said were expected to focus on clinching a ceasefire before the onset of warmer spring weather prompts an escalation of fighting, as in previous years.
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani (C) talks with U.S. special representative for Afghan peace and reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad (top L) during a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Afghanistan, January 27, 2019. /VCG Photo
The last round of talks ended in Qatar in January. Baradar, a veteran fighter and figure of considerable influence within the Taliban, was released from a Pakistani jail last year.
His appointment was widely seen as a fresh effort by the Taliban to emerge from the political and diplomatic shadows.
Last week the Taliban said that Baradar had named a 14-member team for the talks and would not go to Qatar, but his plans changed on Sunday.
Also in last week, the U.S. and Russia agreed to explore options to revoke a UN travel ban on Taliban negotiators, one of the key demands of the group.
(Cover: U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad participates in a discussion on "The Prospects for Peace in Afghanistan" at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, February 8, 2019. /VCG Photo)