On the 18th, the Afghan government and a delegation of the Taliban continued the peace talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The Taliban stated that a political solution can best bring peace to Afghanistan and the movement seeks to establish relations with the international community.
Today’s meeting will be held in a bilateral fashion, with only 7 representatives from each delegation, and the Qatari mediator will attend the meeting.
The current round of Afghan peace negotiations began on Saturday. At the beginning of the negotiations, the government delegation headed by Abdullah Abdullah and the Taliban headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradal had reached an agreement. Understanding to prevent the continued escalation of the situation in Afghanistan expressed optimism.
Taliban statement
At the same time, Taliban leader Hebatullah Ahunzad emphasized that although his campaign has made military progress on the ground, it believes that a political solution can best bring peace to the country.
Ahunzad added in a statement issued on Sunday’s approaching Eid al-Fitr, “Instead of relying on foreigners, it is better to let us solve the problems ourselves and get our country out of the current crisis.”
“As far as we are concerned, we are determined to reach a settlement through negotiation, but the other party continues to waste time,” he said.
The Taliban leaders emphasized that the movement seeks to establish relations with the international community, including the United States, after withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
He said, “We hope to establish good and close diplomatic, economic and political relations with all countries in the world, including the United States.”
In a statement issued to neighboring countries, Ahunzad emphasized that the Taliban will not allow the land of Afghanistan to be used to threaten the security and stability of neighboring countries.
(Al Jazeera)Ceasefire
The German News Agency quoted the Supreme Council of Afghan National Reconciliation as saying that negotiations have been going on since Saturday and it is said that an agreement will be reached today.The Supreme Council for National Reconciliation consists of 14 members, of which 7 members are from the Taliban and 7 members are from the Afghan government
A spokesperson for the Supreme Council said that the last day of the talks will focus on arranging a mediator for the previous Afghan talks, achieving a ceasefire and a political settlement.
Sources familiar with the peace talks in Afghanistan said that the Taliban may agree to a ceasefire during the Eid al-Adha and reduce violence.
(Al Jazeera)Situation on the ground
The Doha talks coincided with the ongoing escalation of fighting between the Afghan army and the Taliban. The movement stated that during the past two months (May and June), it controlled 194 areas of Afghanistan, 5 of which were retaken by the Afghan government forces.
On Sunday, the Afghan Ministry of Defense announced that 20 Taliban militants were killed in an air strike by the Afghan army against Helmand Province in the south of the country.
Yesterday, the Ministry announced that in the past 24 hours, 284 Taliban militants had been killed in military operations carried out in certain provinces, including the famous Balkh, Kandahar, Helmand, Tahar, Kabul, and Nan. Gehar, Ghazni and Horst. In addition, the Ministry also announced that 15 explosive devices have been dismantled.
The government forces are continuing their military operations to restore the city of Spin Bordak and the strategic Chaman border crossing in the southern Kandahar province, which borders Pakistan, while the Taliban broadcast a video clip about the Chaman border crossing.
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