Senior Taliban official to join Peace Talks in Qatar
The peace talks, initially scheduled for two days, continued into Saturday as one of the senior Taliban officials is reportedly expected to join the talks in Doha, Qatar.
The peace talks, initially scheduled for two days, continued into Saturday as one of the senior Taliban officials is reportedly expected to join the talks in Doha, Qatar.
“He is expected to join soon,” one of the senior Taliban officials said.
Taliban sources had confirmed that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the militants’ former number two who was recently released from custody in Pakistan, would now take direct charge of the negotiations in Doha.
During the talks in Qatar, American officials have sought assurances that after any peace deal, jihadist militants such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State group would not be allowed to plot attacks against the West.
This week’s meetings, which have also been dominated by Taliban demands for a withdrawal of American forces and a US call for a ceasefire. The militants have publicly called for a complete pull out, but are understood to be open to a phased withdrawal. America wants long term bases in the country however.
The Taliban have now agreed to the assurances, the Wall Street Journal reported, despite concerns by some militant officials that rank-and-file fighters would view the move as joining forces with Washington against al Qaeda.
“When talks take a long time it means the discussion is in a sensitive and important stage, and the participants are getting close to a positive result,” Sayed Ehsan Taheri, a spokesman for the High Peace Council told Reuters.
“We’re a long way from a fully-fledged peace agreement. This is going to be a long road,” said Graeme Smith a consultant for International Crisis Group.
