US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad calls for immediate start of intra-Afghan talks
The US-Taliban deal signed in Qatar on February 29 calls for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to open the way for intra-Afghan negotiations.
The US-Taliban deal signed in Qatar on February 29 calls for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to open the way for intra-Afghan negotiations.
Over the past years, the capital city has been hit by a series of terror attacks by the Taliban insurgents and militants of the Islamic State
Pompeo and Ghani agreed to work on the details of the peace process in the coming days, with the Afghan government in particular emphasizing the undeclared ceasefire mechanism that sets out the rules of the game, he added.
The agreement called for the Taliban to release 1,000 detained Afghan security force members.
"Today it is the time that the enemies of Afghanistan see the power of the special operation forces and commandos of Afghanistan," warned the Afghan president.
The government said that it was "open" to continue technical talks with the Taliban "to advance the peace process" to end the 19-year long deadly conflict in the country.
The prisoner exchange deal would serve as a precursor to the commencement of intra-Afghan talks to usher in peace in the country after nearly 20 years.
The agreement, signed by Khalilzad and a senior Taliban official on February 29 in Doha, established a framework for bringing to an end America’s longest war, begun after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The deal would contribute to bringing stability back to Afghanistan and promote regional and international security.
It noted that the country was at a critical moment in a peace process with the start of a period of reduced violence with the Taliban.
