Taliban Say Will Present Written Peace Proposal to Kabul As Soon As Next Month

By Staff, Agencies
The Taliban say they will present a written peace proposal to the Afghan government as soon as next month even though they have gained the “upper hand on the battlefield” in recent weeks.
A Taliban spokesman told Reuters on Monday that the militant group was serious about peace with Kabul, as concerns grow about the future of the country as US and NATO forces withdraw.
“The peace talks and process will be accelerated in the coming days,” Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters. “Although we have the upper hand on the battlefield, we are very serious about talks and dialog.”
Peace talks between the Taliban and Kabul, obligated under a deal between the US and the militant group in Doha last year, have made very little progress so far. But Mujahid said it would possibly take a month “to enter an important stage” in the peace process with the Afghan government.
Spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry for Peace Affairs Najia Anwari also confirmed that intra-Afghan talks had resumed, but said, “It is difficult to anticipate that the Taliban will provide us with their written document of a peace plan in a month.”
“But let’s be positive,” she said. “We hope they present [it] so as to understand what they want.”
In exchange for the US withdrawal, the Taliban have made a commitment to negotiating with the Afghan government. But they have so far refused to declare a ceasefire.
While some observers say a full withdrawal of the foreign forces could intensify violence in the absence of a peace deal in Afghanistan, Mujahid said earlier this week that that pullout “will pave the way for Afghans to decide about their future between themselves.”
“Afghans can get closer to stability and peace with the full withdrawal of foreign forces,” he said on Friday.
In reaction to Mujahid’s recent remarks, a spokesperson for the US State Department urged “the sides to engage in serious negotiations to determine a political roadmap for Afghanistan’s future that leads to a just and durable settlement.”
“The world will not accept the imposition by force of a government in Afghanistan,” the official told Reuters, in an apparent reference to a potential takeover of power by the Taliban.
Since the US started the formal withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan, in May – with a delay in a deadline agreed with the Taliban – the militant group has intensified attacks across the country and, and according to the Pentagon, managed to take control of more than 100 of Afghanistan’s 419 district centers so far.
The Taliban have, however, claimed that they have control of more than 200 districts in 34 provinces.
Later on Monday, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon ordered the mobilization of 20,000 military reservists to bolster the security of the border with Afghanistan.
President Rahmon also discussed the situation with allies in the region, including Russia.
In a phone conversation on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured Rahmon that Moscow would support the country to stabilize its border with Afghanistan if needed, both directly and through a regional security bloc, the Kremlin said in a statement. Russia operates its largest military base abroad in Tajikistan.
Citing government sources, Reuters said Tajikistan was also looking into setting up camps for potential refugees from Afghanistan.
Rahmon also talked to his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, on Sunday, expressing concern about “forced crossings” by members of the Afghan security forces, his office said in a statement.
“Special attention was paid to the escalation of the situation in Afghanistan’s northern areas adjacent to Tajikistan,” it said.
Comments
