US-Taliban unofficial talks underway in Doha: sources

[ahlam1399]

KABUL: Discussions between the US and Taliban have begun again in Qatar, but in an unofficial capacity, two sources familiar with the matter told the media.The sources said the two sides are discussing a reduction in violence and the resumption of official talks between American and Taliban negotiators. “The talks right now are underway secretly and I think that they are in favor of Afghanistan,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander now based in Kabul. “Based on my information, official negotiations are not underway like they were in the past.”The Presidential Palace said Washington is consulting with the Afghan government during these unofficial talks. “This time, we are in agreement in the sense that our goals and priorities for peace are completely clear, with issues like a reduction of violence which will result in a ceasefire, and, ultimately, the start of direct negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban,” said presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.The High Peace Council also stressed the need for reduction of violence in order to move the peace process forward. “This time a ceasefire should be discussed. The intensity in the conflict will affect the peace process,” said Haji Din Mohammad, deputy head of the council.This comes almost a week after the Afghan government released three senior members of the Haqqani network in exchange for two Western professors, which was an attempt of both sides to lay the groundwork for resumed peace talks. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that the US is “working on an agreement now with the Taliban.” “Let’s see what happens,” he added.Meanwhile, with the arrival of the cold season and typically reduced insurgent activity, the Ministry of Defense, or MoD, said on Sunday that Afghan security forces operations against militants had risen over the past two months.The Ministry of Interior said the number of joint operations in the past eight months was higher than the total number of operations last year. But the Afghan security agencies said the Taliban has not reduced the level of operations even with the arrival of the cold season. “The operations by National Defense and Security Forces are underway and they have inflicted high casualties on the enemy,” MoD Spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai said.A recent report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan (SIGAR), indicates that Afghan forces’ casualties have increased by five percent amid a rise in violence in the first quarter of 2019. “They cannot defeat the government. The conflict and calamity will continue, but nothing will come of it. But, ultimately, peace will come,” military affairs analyst Atiqullah Amarkhil said.According to the Ministry of Interior, 2,331 joint military operations were conducted in the past eight months while last year it was less than 2,000 operations. “The security and defense forces operations have increased this year. This year, the enemy has been suppressed and weakened more than any year,” Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said.The SIGAR report, citing TAAC-Air, says the Afghan Air Forces’ average monthly flight hours this quarter (July 1 through September 30, 2019) increased by about 19 percent compared to the last reporting period (April 1 through June 30, 2019). “The National Defense and Security Forces in Kunduz decided to launch a large-scale operation in Kunduz to suppress the enemy,” said Nabiullah Mirzaee, Commander of 207 Pamir Corps.Others await clearing operations: “Helmand requires a widespread operation to help displaced families to go back to their homes,” said Attaullah Afghan, the head of Helmand Provincial Council.The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, says the repatriation of Afghans from Iran has increased dramatically, stating that over 12,000 Afghan refugees have returned—willingly or by deportation—just over the past week.The organization pointed at the US’s sanctioning of Iran as the main reason for the increase of Afghans returning back across the border. Figures by the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, or MRR, show that 440,000 Afghan refugees returned to the country from Iran, Turkey and Pakistan over the past 11 months.According to the ministry, 220,000 of the refugees were deported from Iran while 170,000 others returned voluntarily from Iran in the same time period. “When Afghans leave their country without any papers and go to Iran and other countries, they are deported because they do not have any documents and any act by them is a violation in the host country,” said MRR spokesperson Abdul Basit Ansari.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/Pwi29w_MuFs

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