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KABUL: A high powered Afghan government delegation, which will include the head of the country’s reconciliation council, is to meet the Taliban in Doha to jump-start a longstalled peace process, two Afghan officials said on Tuesday. The officials said the Taliban were expected to bring their senior leaders to the table when the two sides meet, possibly on Friday. The Taliban maintain a political office in the Qatar capital of Doha.
The latest attempt to revitalise peace talks comes as Taliban surge through district after district taking control of large swaths of Afghanistan.
The talks planned for Doha will be led by Abdullah Abdullah, who heads Afghanistan’s reconciliation council. They are reportedly intended to plot a way forward that could end the violence. Former president Hamid Karzai, who is expected to be among the Kabul delegates, held a news conference in the capital saying peace was coming to Afghanistan and urging the youth to stay in the country. His urging came as France urged its citizens to leave Afghanistan. There was no indication the French embassy would be shut. Australia has closed its embassy. While the US has downsized, it says it has no plans to evacuate.
The latest attempt to revitalise peace talks comes as Taliban surge through district after district taking control of large swaths of Afghanistan.
The talks planned for Doha will be led by Abdullah Abdullah, who heads Afghanistan’s reconciliation council. They are reportedly intended to plot a way forward that could end the violence. Former president Hamid Karzai, who is expected to be among the Kabul delegates, held a news conference in the capital saying peace was coming to Afghanistan and urging the youth to stay in the country. His urging came as France urged its citizens to leave Afghanistan. There was no indication the French embassy would be shut. Australia has closed its embassy. While the US has downsized, it says it has no plans to evacuate.
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