China's government denounced Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's National Day speech, saying it incited confrontation and distorted facts.The FBI arrested a Maryland couple for attempting to sell 'restricted data' on the design of nuclear-powered warships. The US delegation reiterated that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words.

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Doha talks 'candid', Taliban to be judged based on its actions: US 
 
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A US interagency delegation travelled to Qatar to meet senior Taliban representatives from Kabul and discussed issues of vital national interest, said State Department's spokesperson, Ned Price, on Sunday.

China-Taiwan tensions: Tsai Ing-wen's remarks incite confrontation, distort facts, says Beijing spokesperson 
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China stated on Sunday that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's statements provoke hostility, distort facts, and mislead the people in the name of so-called unity and consensus, according to local media.

FBI arrests Navy engineer, wife for selling restricted nuke info in peanut butter sandwich in US 
 
<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2018/09/12/41335-fbi-20180214010904.jpg" />The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a Maryland couple on Saturday for attempting to sell 'restricted data' on the design of nuclear-powered warships, the Justice Department reported.

Watch: Taliban's Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid speaks to WION

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Watch: Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel embarks on farewell tour to Israel

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China's government denounced Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's National Day speech, saying it incited confrontation and distorted facts.The FBI arrested a Maryland couple for attempting to sell 'restricted data' on the design of nuclear-powered warships.

China's government denounced Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's National Day speech, saying it incited confrontation and distorted facts.The FBI arrested a Maryland couple for attempting to sell 'restricted data' on the design of nuclear-powered warships. The US delegation reiterated that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words. Click on headlines to read more Doha talks 'candid', Taliban to be judged based on its actions: US A US interagency delegation travelled to Qatar to meet senior Taliban representatives from Kabul and discussed issues of vital national interest, said State Department's spokesperson, Ned Price, on Sunday. China-Taiwan tensions: Tsai Ing-wen's remarks incite confrontation, distort facts, says Beijing spokesperson China stated on Sunday that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's statements provoke hostility, distort facts, and mislead the people in the name of so-called unity and consensus, according to local media. FBI arrests Navy engineer, wife for selling restricted nuke info in peanut butter sandwich in US The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested a Maryland couple on Saturday for attempting to sell 'restricted data' on the design of nuclear-powered warships, the Justice Department reported. Watch: Taliban's Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid speaks to WION Watch: Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel embarks on farewell tour to Israel

Morning news brief: Doha talks, China-Taiwan tensions, and more

The US State Department said the two-day discussions with the Taliban team in Doha, Qatar (illegal in Russia as a terrorist organisation) were professional, and Washington will observe the Taliban's actions.&nbsp;

"The discussions were candid and professional with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words," US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. 
 
Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nothing-changed-between-taliban-of-1990s-and-2021-report-4">Nothing changed between Taliban of 1990s and 2021: Report</a>

According to the US State Department, the Doha discussions were conducted on October 9 and 10 and focused on security problems as well as human rights, particularly the inclusion of women in different sectors of Afghan society. 
 
Watch: Taliban's Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid speaks to WION

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"On October 9 and 10, an interagency delegation travelled to Doha, Qatar to meet with senior Taliban representatives. The US delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners, as well as on human rights, including the "meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society," the US statement said. 
 
"The two sides also discussed the United States’ provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people. The discussions were candid and professional, with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words, "it added.

According to Al Jazeera, the Taliban considered discussions with US representatives in Doha productive, and there were expectations that the meeting would be a step toward Washington's acceptance of the new Afghan government.

This was the first meeting between US officials and Taliban leaders since the US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in August.&nbsp;

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, a few nations, particularly China and Pakistan, have indicated an interest in establishing ties with the organisation.

Other members of the international community are waiting to see what happens.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The US State Department said the two-day discussions with the Taliban team in Doha, Qatar (illegal in Russia as a terrorist organisation) were professional, and Washington will observe the Taliban's actions.

The US State Department said the two-day discussions with the Taliban team in Doha, Qatar (illegal in Russia as a terrorist organisation) were professional, and Washington will observe the Taliban's actions. "The discussions were candid and professional with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words," US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. Also Read | Nothing changed between Taliban of 1990s and 2021: Report According to the US State Department, the Doha discussions were conducted on October 9 and 10 and focused on security problems as well as human rights, particularly the inclusion of women in different sectors of Afghan society. Watch: Taliban's Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid speaks to WION "On October 9 and 10, an interagency delegation travelled to Doha, Qatar to meet with senior Taliban representatives. The US delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners, as well as on human rights, including the "meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society," the US statement said. "The two sides also discussed the United States’ provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people. The discussions were candid and professional, with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words, "it added. According to Al Jazeera, the Taliban considered discussions with US representatives in Doha productive, and there were expectations that the meeting would be a step toward Washington's acceptance of the new Afghan government. This was the first meeting between US officials and Taliban leaders since the US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in August. Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, a few nations, particularly China and Pakistan, have indicated an interest in establishing ties with the organisation. Other members of the international community are waiting to see what happens. (With inputs from agencies)

Doha talks 'candid', Taliban to be judged based on its actions: US

At least three people were reported killed in Jalalabad during the city’s protests against the Taliban banner replacing Afghanistan’s national flag.

According to two witnesses and a former police official, Taliban fighters opened fire during anti-Taliban rallies in the Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing and wounding many Jalalabad protestors.

The killings, according to witnesses, occurred as local citizens attempted to raise Afghanistan's national flag in a municipal plaza some 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of Kabul.&nbsp;

As they attempted to cover the turmoil, local media reported they were assaulted by the Taliban.&nbsp;

Video footage shot by Pajhwok Afghan News, a local news agency, showed protesters in the city who were carrying the Afghan flag fleeing with the sound of gunshots in the background.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taliban?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Taliban</a> firing on protesters in Jalalabad city and beaten some video journalists. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanidtan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanidtan</a> <a href="https://t.co/AbM2JHg9I2">pic.twitter.com/AbM2JHg9I2</a>
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A former police official told Reuters separately that four people had been killed and 13 injured in the protests, without elaborating further.

It was not possible to verify how the deaths occurred. A Taliban militant present in Jalalabad at the time of the incident said that, "There were some troublemakers who wanted to create issues for us. These people are exploiting our relaxed policies. "

&nbsp;

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of these visuals

(With inputs from agencies)

At least three people were reported killed in Jalalabad during the city’s protests against the Taliban banner replacing Afghanistan’s national flag. According to two witnesses and a former police official, Taliban fighters opened fire during anti-Taliban rallies in the Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing and wounding many Jalalabad protestors.

At least three people were reported killed in Jalalabad during the city’s protests against the Taliban banner replacing Afghanistan’s national flag. According to two witnesses and a former police official, Taliban fighters opened fire during anti-Taliban rallies in the Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing and wounding many Jalalabad protestors. The killings, according to witnesses, occurred as local citizens attempted to raise Afghanistan's national flag in a municipal plaza some 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of Kabul. As they attempted to cover the turmoil, local media reported they were assaulted by the Taliban. Video footage shot by Pajhwok Afghan News, a local news agency, showed protesters in the city who were carrying the Afghan flag fleeing with the sound of gunshots in the background. #Taliban firing on protesters in Jalalabad city and beaten some video journalists. #Afghanidtan pic.twitter.com/AbM2JHg9I2 — Pajhwok Afghan News (@pajhwok) August 18, 2021 × pic.twitter.com/QyqdOT2YUg — Najeeb Nangyal (@NajeebNangyal) August 18, 2021 × A former police official told Reuters separately that four people had been killed and 13 injured in the protests, without elaborating further. It was not possible to verify how the deaths occurred. A Taliban militant present in Jalalabad at the time of the incident said that, "There were some troublemakers who wanted to create issues for us. These people are exploiting our relaxed policies. " Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of these visuals (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: 3 killed, dozens injured after militants open fire on anti-Taliban protesters

As the Taliban consolidated its position in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pak-terror-groups-now-present-in-kabul-finds-indian-assessment-406431">Kabul</a>, the group said its leaders and co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, had returned to Afghanistan.

Baradar, who is the chief of the Taliban's political office, arrived in Kandahar. As he stepped out of the plane, the group's leaders cheered on.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/live-afghanistan-crisis-taliban-leader-mullah-baradar-returns-to-kandahar-406423">LIVE Afghanistan crisis: As it happens</a>

The Taliban leader took a&nbsp;C17 aircraft from Qatar and chose to land in the group's spiritual birthplace Kandahar on Tuesday night. The city was the capital of the group during its first time in power in the 90s.

Watch:

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A controversial figure in the Taliban, Baradar was arrested in 2010 in Pakistan but was released from prison three years ago at the request of the former&nbsp;Trump administration as it prepared to open peace talks with the militant group.

Reports say US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad was instrumental in getting Baradar released from Pakistan's prison. Baradar skillfully handled the talks even as the US government began moves to exit the country. &nbsp;

Baradar had taken part in long drawn-out talks with the US administration which was kicked off under the Trump administration in Doha and later under the present Biden government.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-kabul-evacuation-us-tajik-support-a-long-drive-crossing-15-taliban-check-posts-406428">Taliban</a> on Tuesday assured the international community that it had "pardoned everyone" as Baradar arrived in the country.&nbsp;

"We will not seek revenge," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had earlier met Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani before arriving in the country. Doha was the centre of Taliban for several months as the militant group hosted talks with the US government with Baradar leading the delegation.

Baradar is widely seen as a possible future leader of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/human-remains-found-in-landing-gear-of-military-flight-from-kabul-us-air-force-406427">Afghanistan</a> as the Taliban take control of Kabul.

Qatar's foreign minister had urged the Taliban leader to ensure &nbsp;civilians in Afghanistan are protected. On Saturday, Qatar had called for the Taliban to adopt a ceasefire, however, the militant group marched into Kabul on Sunday almost unopposed as President Ghani left the country.

As Baradar entered the country, the US stepped up its evacuation after chaotic scenes on Monday paralysed efforts with Afghans taking over the tarmac at Hamid Karzai international airport.

Evacuation flights from Kabul's airport restarted on Tuesday with Germany and France also evacating their officials.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Agencies)

As the Taliban consolidated its position in Kabul, the group said its leaders and co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, had returned to Afghanistan. Baradar, who is the chief of the Taliban's political office, arrived in Kandahar.

As the Taliban consolidated its position in Kabul, the group said its leaders and co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, had returned to Afghanistan. Baradar, who is the chief of the Taliban's political office, arrived in Kandahar. As he stepped out of the plane, the group's leaders cheered on. LIVE Afghanistan crisis: As it happens The Taliban leader took a C17 aircraft from Qatar and chose to land in the group's spiritual birthplace Kandahar on Tuesday night. The city was the capital of the group during its first time in power in the 90s. Watch: A controversial figure in the Taliban, Baradar was arrested in 2010 in Pakistan but was released from prison three years ago at the request of the former Trump administration as it prepared to open peace talks with the militant group. Reports say US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad was instrumental in getting Baradar released from Pakistan's prison. Baradar skillfully handled the talks even as the US government began moves to exit the country. Baradar had taken part in long drawn-out talks with the US administration which was kicked off under the Trump administration in Doha and later under the present Biden government. The Taliban on Tuesday assured the international community that it had "pardoned everyone" as Baradar arrived in the country. "We will not seek revenge," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had earlier met Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani before arriving in the country. Doha was the centre of Taliban for several months as the militant group hosted talks with the US government with Baradar leading the delegation. Baradar is widely seen as a possible future leader of Afghanistan as the Taliban take control of Kabul. Qatar's foreign minister had urged the Taliban leader to ensure civilians in Afghanistan are protected. On Saturday, Qatar had called for the Taliban to adopt a ceasefire, however, the militant group marched into Kabul on Sunday almost unopposed as President Ghani left the country. As Baradar entered the country, the US stepped up its evacuation after chaotic scenes on Monday paralysed efforts with Afghans taking over the tarmac at Hamid Karzai international airport. Evacuation flights from Kabul's airport restarted on Tuesday with Germany and France also evacating their officials. (With inputs from Agencies)

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar: Released from Pak prison earlier, Taliban co-founder is back in Afghanistan

NATO nations including 15 diplomatic missions have urged the Taliban to stop military operations in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-recalls-envoy-to-pakistan-over-daughter-abduction-incident-398916">Afghanistan</a> as the militant group failed to reach a ceasefire agreement in&nbsp;Doha.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-leader-favours-political-settlement-to-afghan-conflict-398821">Taliban</a> said on Monday it had captured the Dehrawood district in Uruzgan province after clashes with Afghan forces&nbsp;

"The Taliban's offensive is in direct contradiction to their claim to support a negotiated settlement," the statement by diplomatic missions consisting of EU, US, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany among other nations said.

Watch:

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"It has resulted in the loss of innocent Afghan lives, including through continued targeted killings, displacement of the civilian population, looting and burning of buildings, destruction of vital infrastructure, and damage to communication networks," the statement added.

The government forces had recaptured Dara-e-Sof Bala district in northern Samangan with casualties suffered by the Taliban with clashes reportedly underway.

Amid the fighting, President&nbsp;Ashraf Ghani visited Herat province on Monday where the Taliban has captured several districts.

The Taliban has escalated its campaign since mid-May and engaged in heavy&nbsp;fighting with government troops in the past month as US President Joe Biden announced the last American troops will pull out from the region by August 31.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said it will stage military drills next month with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan near the border with Afghanistan.

The joint drills with will take place from August 5-10 at the Kharbmaidon training ground in Tajikistan near the Afghan border. Hundreds of Afghan forces had earlier poured into Tajikistan as the Taliban captured main checkpoints&nbsp;along the area.

Reports claimed last week that several Afghan refugees which included women and children had also crossed over to Tajikistan amid heavy fighting between Afghan and Taliban forces in the area.

(With inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

NATO nations including 15 diplomatic missions have urged the Taliban to stop military operations in Afghanistan as the militant group failed to reach a ceasefire agreement in Doha.

NATO nations including 15 diplomatic missions have urged the Taliban to stop military operations in Afghanistan as the militant group failed to reach a ceasefire agreement in Doha. Taliban said on Monday it had captured the Dehrawood district in Uruzgan province after clashes with Afghan forces "The Taliban's offensive is in direct contradiction to their claim to support a negotiated settlement," the statement by diplomatic missions consisting of EU, US, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany among other nations said. Watch: "It has resulted in the loss of innocent Afghan lives, including through continued targeted killings, displacement of the civilian population, looting and burning of buildings, destruction of vital infrastructure, and damage to communication networks," the statement added. The government forces had recaptured Dara-e-Sof Bala district in northern Samangan with casualties suffered by the Taliban with clashes reportedly underway. Amid the fighting, President Ashraf Ghani visited Herat province on Monday where the Taliban has captured several districts. The Taliban has escalated its campaign since mid-May and engaged in heavy fighting with government troops in the past month as US President Joe Biden announced the last American troops will pull out from the region by August 31. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said it will stage military drills next month with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan near the border with Afghanistan. The joint drills with will take place from August 5-10 at the Kharbmaidon training ground in Tajikistan near the Afghan border. Hundreds of Afghan forces had earlier poured into Tajikistan as the Taliban captured main checkpoints along the area. Reports claimed last week that several Afghan refugees which included women and children had also crossed over to Tajikistan amid heavy fighting between Afghan and Taliban forces in the area. (With inputs from Agencies)

Russia to conduct military drills near Afghan border as Taliban continues onslaught in Afghanistan

In early March, Jaishankar and Khalilzad spoke over phone and discussed the developments pertaining to the Afghan peace talks.

EAM S.Jaishankar holds talks with US Special Representative for Afghanistan

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-blast-injures-russian-embassy-staff-346820">Afghan</a> government and the Taliban agreed to "procedures" for the intra-Afghan negotiations with discussions set to begin, negotiators said today.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/germany-warns-against-rash-actions-over-troop-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-346714">Also Read:&nbsp;Germany warns against 'rash actions' over troop withdrawal from Afghanistan</a>

The two sides had begun talks in September but it got bogged down over several issues amid escalation in violence.

"I welcome the initial major step taken in Doha today agreeing to the procedural framework that paves the way for discussions about the peace agenda," Dr Abudullah Abdullah, who is the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said.

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I welcome the initial major step taken in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Doha?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Doha</a> today agreeing to the procedural framework that paves the way for discussions about the peace agenda. I thank the republic’s negotiation team, all facilitators &amp; the host <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Qatar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Qatar</a> for their valuable support.
— Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (@DrabdullahCE) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrabdullahCE/status/1334117163372859395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Trump administration has decided to pull foreign troops out of the country in exchange for security guarantees and the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-demands-apology-from-china-for-repugnant-afghan-tweet-346407">Taliban</a>'s pledge to hold talks with the Ghani government.

"As negotiations on a political roadmap and permanent ceasefire begin, we will work hard &nbsp;with all sides for serious reduction of violence and even a ceasefire during this period," US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad said while reiterating that he now expects "rapid progress on a political roadmap and a ceasefire."

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4/4 As negotiations on a political roadmap and permanent ceasefire begin, we will work hard with all sides for serious reduction of violence and even a ceasefire during this period. This is what the Afghan people want and deserve.
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) <a href="https://twitter.com/US4AfghanPeace/status/1334108221297004545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The agreement comes after several rounds of talks in Doha over months spearheaded by the United States government. The Taliban had earlier refused to agree to a ceasefire during the talks leading to a deadlock.

The Taliban said, "the procedures including its preamble of the intra-Afghan negotiations has been finalised and from now on, the negotiations will begin on the agenda."

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The procedures including its preamble of the Intra-Afghan Negotiations has been finalized and from now on, the negotiations will begin on the agenda.
— Dr.M.Naeem (@IeaOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/IeaOffice/status/1334103287080116224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In February, the Trump administration had struck a deal with the Taliban according to which foreign forces were to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 subject to guarantees from the Taliban which included a permanent ceasefire and a power-sharing agreement with the Ghani government.

The talks were given a further boost by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo who called for "expedited discussions" when he met the Taliban representatives and the Afghan government officials in Doha last month. 
&nbsp;

The Afghan government and the Taliban agreed to "procedures" for the intra-Afghan negotiations with discussions set to begin, negotiators said today. Also Read: Germany warns against 'rash actions' over troop withdrawal from Afghanistan The two sides had begun talks in September but it got bogged down over several issues amid escalation in violence.

The Afghan government and the Taliban agreed to "procedures" for the intra-Afghan negotiations with discussions set to begin, negotiators said today. Also Read: Germany warns against 'rash actions' over troop withdrawal from Afghanistan The two sides had begun talks in September but it got bogged down over several issues amid escalation in violence. "I welcome the initial major step taken in Doha today agreeing to the procedural framework that paves the way for discussions about the peace agenda," Dr Abudullah Abdullah, who is the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said. I welcome the initial major step taken in #Doha today agreeing to the procedural framework that paves the way for discussions about the peace agenda. I thank the republic’s negotiation team, all facilitators & the host #Qatar for their valuable support. — Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (@DrabdullahCE) December 2, 2020 × The Trump administration has decided to pull foreign troops out of the country in exchange for security guarantees and the Taliban's pledge to hold talks with the Ghani government. "As negotiations on a political roadmap and permanent ceasefire begin, we will work hard with all sides for serious reduction of violence and even a ceasefire during this period," US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad said while reiterating that he now expects "rapid progress on a political roadmap and a ceasefire." 4/4 As negotiations on a political roadmap and permanent ceasefire begin, we will work hard with all sides for serious reduction of violence and even a ceasefire during this period. This is what the Afghan people want and deserve. — U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) December 2, 2020 × The agreement comes after several rounds of talks in Doha over months spearheaded by the United States government. The Taliban had earlier refused to agree to a ceasefire during the talks leading to a deadlock. The Taliban said, "the procedures including its preamble of the intra-Afghan negotiations has been finalised and from now on, the negotiations will begin on the agenda." The procedures including its preamble of the Intra-Afghan Negotiations has been finalized and from now on, the negotiations will begin on the agenda. — Dr.M.Naeem (@IeaOffice) December 2, 2020 × In February, the Trump administration had struck a deal with the Taliban according to which foreign forces were to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 subject to guarantees from the Taliban which included a permanent ceasefire and a power-sharing agreement with the Ghani government. The talks were given a further boost by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo who called for "expedited discussions" when he met the Taliban representatives and the Afghan government officials in Doha last month.

Taliban, Afghan government agree to advance talks to next stage

DOHA, Qatar — They are here to end their fathers’ war.

On both sides of the negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are nearly a dozen children of men who played key roles in the Soviet conflict in the 1980s that set off four decades of violence and loss.

Some of their fathers have since died of old age, insurgents to the end. Some faced more violent deaths, blown up in suicide bombings that have become a trademark of the war’s brutality. Many of the ones who have survived, their chests decked out in the medals and insignia of a conflict that has inflicted misery on millions, grew rich — enjoying palaces, political fortune, massive wealth. But they still play hide and seek with death.

Those fathers fought alongside each other to drive out the Soviets, then turned their guns on each other in the power vacuum that followed, waging an atrocity-filled civil war.

Now, their children know all too well what is at stake as the U.S. military continues its withdrawal with the peace talks in Qatar still up in the air: If the Afghan warring sides fail to agree on a formula of power-sharing, Afghanistan could break into another civil war, the conflict dragging on for another generation, with new enemies and new patrons.

“If we lose this opportunity, we have lost Afghanistan,” said Fatima Gailani, whose father was one of the leaders of the mujahedeen resistance to the Soviets at the dawn of Afghanistan’s descent into chaos. “If we lose this opportunity, we have betrayed the people of Afghanistan — we have betrayed every child, every woman, above all we have betrayed the people who died in this war.”

Gailani arrived in Doha, Qatar’s capital, in September as one of the 20 negotiators on the government’s side facing the Taliban, who reached a deal in February that started a U.S. military withdrawal. She got to Qatar just a week after her third surgery for throat cancer, her voice still hoarse.

The last time Afghanistan was at such an inflection point was in the 1980s. Her father was a leader of the mujahedeen guerrillas against the Soviets, and he persuaded her to abandon her pursuit of a doctorate and become a spokesperson for the mujahedeen factions as the war reached its endgame and the Soviets neared withdrawal.

That turned out to be a nightmare that never ended, she said: The guerrillas were soon at one another’s throats, and the extremists among them who saw no place for women in government outnumbered the moderate factions like her father’s.

“I am a 66-year-old woman, I cannot afford to be pessimistic,” Gailani said. “I see it as we are being given another opportunity.”

On the Taliban side, too, are several children or relatives of men who were the leaders of the anti-Soviet war.

Mawlawi Matiulhaq Khalis, almost 60, is the son of the late Mawlawi Mohammad Yunus Khalis, one of the key ideologues of the resistance. The senior Khalis’ claim to fame was that on a visit to the White House with President Ronald Reagan, who praised the mujahedeen as “freedom fighters,” he invited the American president to convert to Islam.

Among the hardened graybeards on the insurgent side of the negotiations in Qatar is an obvious outlier, a young man of just 26, tall with gentle eyes. But he carries a name — Haqqani — that has become synonymous with the deadly bombings that rack Afghanistan’s cities.

He is Anas Haqqani, the youngest son of the family patriarch, Jalaluddin Haqqani, who was once an ally of the United States against the Soviets but later founded the infamous Haqqani network of the Taliban, bent on forcing the Americans out of Afghanistan. One of his other sons, Sirajuddin, became his successor and is now the deputy supreme leader of the Taliban and a central architect of the militants’ resurgence.

But even as he represents the Taliban at the negotiating table, Anas Haqqani insists in personal conversation that he is more interested in being seen as a poet.

A sample verse:

“His ties to politics are out of obligation/ Anas’ interest is in poetry, sweeter than any throne.”

He spent five years in an Afghan prison, arrested as a 19-year-old in a joint effort by Afghan and American spies while he was in transit from Qatar in 2014. He was sentenced to death — for his family name and not for any crime he had committed, he says — before being let out in a prisoner exchange last year.

When the United States was preparing to invade Afghanistan in 2001, chasing Osama bin Laden — who had close ties to the senior Haqqani, dating back to the mujahedeen struggle — Anas was just 7. The Americans, along with Pakistani middlemen, approached the senior Haqqani to see if he would betray his Taliban allies and bin Laden by siding with them again.

Anas quotes his father, who was already in his 60s at the time, as warning the Americans: “Sort it out through talks. But if you come as invaders, I will shoot you with this same weapon that I fought the Soviets.”

The senior Haqqani developed a vast base in the tribal areas of Pakistan, built and buttressed in the lawless region by CIA money from the anti-Soviet war. He lost four of his sons to U.S. drones and assassinations, and died of old age two years ago.

His legacy is half a century of insurgency, and an entire infrastructure that trains children to chase glory in the fight against intrusive foreign powers. The example he set is clear, and feels particularly chilling right now: Old friends can always become new foes in somebody else’s war in Afghanistan.

“Those in the right might be weaker in weapons, money, numbers — but we can still take the truth, smash the head of falsehood with it, crack its skull and spread its brains,” he is shown saying in a video clip released by the Taliban this year on the second anniversary of his death. He appears frail, with his head trembling, but is still dressed in his military-style fatigues. “This is the truth with which God smashed the skull of Americans.”

“They are trying to create covers for their loss,” he continued, speaking about the United States’ search for an exit from Afghanistan. “But the cover is like putting pants on a camel — the pants rip open after the camel takes the first step, and then you see its privates.”

Across the table from the youngest Haqqani is the alternative: children of legacy and privilege who are trying to cement what their fathers won by the gun with a softer image of democratic politics. With top-class educations, advisers and resources, they have made it to Cabinet positions and parliamentary seats.

The youngest, 25-year-old Khalid Noor, received a military degree in Britain and a bachelor’s degree in the United States. His father, strongman Atta Mohammed Noor, had consolidated his grip as one of the most powerful political forces in northern Afghanistan, in part through his command of militia forces that were accused of abuses.

At 31, Batour Dostum has already inherited the leadership of a political party that his father built. His father, Abdul Rashid Dostum, is one of the most notorious civil war strongmen, and perhaps the ultimate survivor of the Afghan conflict.

After racking up accusations of human rights abuses over decades, the senior Dostum became a champion for his once-oppressed ethnic Uzbek minority, and rose to the country’s vice presidency. He did not stop there: Despite facing an open court case on charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a political opponent, he was recently given the honorary military rank of marshal, handed out just three times in the country’s history.

Lasting peace would take more than just Afghans agreeing.

Havens for guerrilla warfare would need to be dismantled in Pakistan, where they were first set up by the Americans, Pakistanis and Saudis, and where they seem to merely go into hibernation until a new enemy appears. Foreign nations are likely to remain involved — the country remains deeply dependent on aid. But truly helping Afghanistan would require those powers to reach some sort of equilibrium rather than continuing to fight for their interests through proxy battles there.

Peace would also require a monumental reckoning among Afghans — if not actual healing from generations of devastation, at least a decision not to perpetuate more.

“Unfortunately, all sides have made mistakes in the past 40 years, and you can see everyone is tired — everyone just wants to silence the guns,” Batour Dostum said. “We need to learn from the past, we need to be careful in the future not to repeat the mistakes. We are young, we should not be repeating those mistakes.”

When asked what he can do to heal the wounds his side has inflicted on others, Anas Haqqani tried — with a verse, again — to say that his family is accused of more than it has actually done.

“The blind tell me your face is an ugly face/ The deaf say what you are saying is wrong.”

But there is no escaping that his father’s faction, inherited by his sons, has been behind some of the most scarring violence of the war.

When pressed, he insisted that his time in prison had softened him: On social media, he cannot look at graphic images of the war — “no matter from which side” — and quickly scrolls past.

“On a personal level, I feel sympathy with everyone — that we need to do whatever we can to heal their wounds,” Haqqani said. “I have seen my own brothers blown up to pieces. I feel the pain, because I have also lost my own.”

DOHA, Qatar — They are here to end their fathers’ war. On both sides of the negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are nearly a dozen children of men who played key roles in the Soviet conflict in the 1980s that set off four decades of violence and loss.

DOHA, Qatar — They are here to end their fathers’ war. On both sides of the negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban are nearly a dozen children of men who played key roles in the Soviet conflict in the 1980s that set off four decades of violence and loss. Some of their fathers have since died of old age, insurgents to the end. Some faced more violent deaths, blown up in suicide bombings that have become a trademark of the war’s brutality. Many of the ones who have survived, their chests decked out in the medals and insignia of a conflict that has inflicted misery on millions, grew rich — enjoying palaces, political fortune, massive wealth. But they still play hide and seek with death. Those fathers fought alongside each other to drive out the Soviets, then turned their guns on each other in the power vacuum that followed, waging an atrocity-filled civil war. Now, their children know all too well what is at stake as the U.S. military continues its withdrawal with the peace talks in Qatar still up in the air: If the Afghan warring sides fail to agree on a formula of power-sharing, Afghanistan could break into another civil war, the conflict dragging on for another generation, with new enemies and new patrons. “If we lose this opportunity, we have lost Afghanistan,” said Fatima Gailani, whose father was one of the leaders of the mujahedeen resistance to the Soviets at the dawn of Afghanistan’s descent into chaos. “If we lose this opportunity, we have betrayed the people of Afghanistan — we have betrayed every child, every woman, above all we have betrayed the people who died in this war.” Gailani arrived in Doha, Qatar’s capital, in September as one of the 20 negotiators on the government’s side facing the Taliban, who reached a deal in February that started a U.S. military withdrawal. She got to Qatar just a week after her third surgery for throat cancer, her voice still hoarse. The last time Afghanistan was at such an inflection point was in the 1980s. Her father was a leader of the mujahedeen guerrillas against the Soviets, and he persuaded her to abandon her pursuit of a doctorate and become a spokesperson for the mujahedeen factions as the war reached its endgame and the Soviets neared withdrawal. That turned out to be a nightmare that never ended, she said: The guerrillas were soon at one another’s throats, and the extremists among them who saw no place for women in government outnumbered the moderate factions like her father’s. “I am a 66-year-old woman, I cannot afford to be pessimistic,” Gailani said. “I see it as we are being given another opportunity.” On the Taliban side, too, are several children or relatives of men who were the leaders of the anti-Soviet war. Mawlawi Matiulhaq Khalis, almost 60, is the son of the late Mawlawi Mohammad Yunus Khalis, one of the key ideologues of the resistance. The senior Khalis’ claim to fame was that on a visit to the White House with President Ronald Reagan, who praised the mujahedeen as “freedom fighters,” he invited the American president to convert to Islam. Among the hardened graybeards on the insurgent side of the negotiations in Qatar is an obvious outlier, a young man of just 26, tall with gentle eyes. But he carries a name — Haqqani — that has become synonymous with the deadly bombings that rack Afghanistan’s cities. He is Anas Haqqani, the youngest son of the family patriarch, Jalaluddin Haqqani, who was once an ally of the United States against the Soviets but later founded the infamous Haqqani network of the Taliban, bent on forcing the Americans out of Afghanistan. One of his other sons, Sirajuddin, became his successor and is now the deputy supreme leader of the Taliban and a central architect of the militants’ resurgence. But even as he represents the Taliban at the negotiating table, Anas Haqqani insists in personal conversation that he is more interested in being seen as a poet. A sample verse: “His ties to politics are out of obligation/ Anas’ interest is in poetry, sweeter than any throne.” He spent five years in an Afghan prison, arrested as a 19-year-old in a joint effort by Afghan and American spies while he was in transit from Qatar in 2014. He was sentenced to death — for his family name and not for any crime he had committed, he says — before being let out in a prisoner exchange last year. When the United States was preparing to invade Afghanistan in 2001, chasing Osama bin Laden — who had close ties to the senior Haqqani, dating back to the mujahedeen struggle — Anas was just 7. The Americans, along with Pakistani middlemen, approached the senior Haqqani to see if he would betray his Taliban allies and bin Laden by siding with them again. Anas quotes his father, who was already in his 60s at the time, as warning the Americans: “Sort it out through talks. But if you come as invaders, I will shoot you with this same weapon that I fought the Soviets.” The senior Haqqani developed a vast base in the tribal areas of Pakistan, built and buttressed in the lawless region by CIA money from the anti-Soviet war. He lost four of his sons to U.S. drones and assassinations, and died of old age two years ago. His legacy is half a century of insurgency, and an entire infrastructure that trains children to chase glory in the fight against intrusive foreign powers. The example he set is clear, and feels particularly chilling right now: Old friends can always become new foes in somebody else’s war in Afghanistan. “Those in the right might be weaker in weapons, money, numbers — but we can still take the truth, smash the head of falsehood with it, crack its skull and spread its brains,” he is shown saying in a video clip released by the Taliban this year on the second anniversary of his death. He appears frail, with his head trembling, but is still dressed in his military-style fatigues. “This is the truth with which God smashed the skull of Americans.” “They are trying to create covers for their loss,” he continued, speaking about the United States’ search for an exit from Afghanistan. “But the cover is like putting pants on a camel — the pants rip open after the camel takes the first step, and then you see its privates.” Across the table from the youngest Haqqani is the alternative: children of legacy and privilege who are trying to cement what their fathers won by the gun with a softer image of democratic politics. With top-class educations, advisers and resources, they have made it to Cabinet positions and parliamentary seats. The youngest, 25-year-old Khalid Noor, received a military degree in Britain and a bachelor’s degree in the United States. His father, strongman Atta Mohammed Noor, had consolidated his grip as one of the most powerful political forces in northern Afghanistan, in part through his command of militia forces that were accused of abuses. At 31, Batour Dostum has already inherited the leadership of a political party that his father built. His father, Abdul Rashid Dostum, is one of the most notorious civil war strongmen, and perhaps the ultimate survivor of the Afghan conflict. After racking up accusations of human rights abuses over decades, the senior Dostum became a champion for his once-oppressed ethnic Uzbek minority, and rose to the country’s vice presidency. He did not stop there: Despite facing an open court case on charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a political opponent, he was recently given the honorary military rank of marshal, handed out just three times in the country’s history. Lasting peace would take more than just Afghans agreeing. Havens for guerrilla warfare would need to be dismantled in Pakistan, where they were first set up by the Americans, Pakistanis and Saudis, and where they seem to merely go into hibernation until a new enemy appears. Foreign nations are likely to remain involved — the country remains deeply dependent on aid. But truly helping Afghanistan would require those powers to reach some sort of equilibrium rather than continuing to fight for their interests through proxy battles there. Peace would also require a monumental reckoning among Afghans — if not actual healing from generations of devastation, at least a decision not to perpetuate more. “Unfortunately, all sides have made mistakes in the past 40 years, and you can see everyone is tired — everyone just wants to silence the guns,” Batour Dostum said. “We need to learn from the past, we need to be careful in the future not to repeat the mistakes. We are young, we should not be repeating those mistakes.” When asked what he can do to heal the wounds his side has inflicted on others, Anas Haqqani tried — with a verse, again — to say that his family is accused of more than it has actually done. “The blind tell me your face is an ugly face/ The deaf say what you are saying is wrong.” But there is no escaping that his father’s faction, inherited by his sons, has been behind some of the most scarring violence of the war. When pressed, he insisted that his time in prison had softened him: On social media, he cannot look at graphic images of the war — “no matter from which side” — and quickly scrolls past. “On a personal level, I feel sympathy with everyone — that we need to do whatever we can to heal their wounds,” Haqqani said. “I have seen my own brothers blown up to pieces. I feel the pain, because I have also lost my own.”

At Afghan peace talks, hoping to end their fathers’ war

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar has joined intra-Afghan talks ceremony "virtually" which is taking place in Doha.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-to-be-present-at-intra-afghan-talks-ceremony-in-doha-326898">Also Read:&nbsp;India to be present at intra-Afghan talks ceremony in Doha</a>

Joint Secretary, Pakistan Afghanistan &amp; Iran (PAI) division in ministry of external affairs, JP Singh is present physically at the ceremony.

India is present along with around 30 countries at the ceremony. All the countries that border Afghanistan have been invited which includes Iran, Pakistan and many central Asian countries.

The ceremony starts the process of negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban. Official negotiations start on Monday.

Earlier this year, India was present at the signing of US Taliban deal which was signed on February 29 in Doha. The then Indian envoy in Doha P Kumaran represented India.

India is Afghanistan's major development partner and has built number infrastructure projects in the country like India Afghanistan friendship dam in the western province of Herat &amp; the Afghan Parliament in capital Kabul.&nbsp;

Afghan govt is being represented by Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mohamamd Hanif Atmar, Afghan President’s Special Representative on Peace Affairs Abdul Salam Rahimi and State Minister for Peace Affairs Seyed Sa’adat Mansour Naderi. In his speech, Abdullah Abdullah called for a "humanitarian ceasefire".

Taliban is being represented by Abdul Ghani Baradar.&nbsp;

US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo is in Qatar to attend the opening ceremony of Afghanistan peace negotiations. The Afghan government negotiating delegation reached for Doha on Friday to start peace negotiations with the Taliban group.&nbsp;

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar has joined intra-Afghan talks ceremony "virtually" which is taking place in Doha. Also Read: India to be present at intra-Afghan talks ceremony in Doha Joint Secretary, Pakistan Afghanistan & Iran (PAI) division in ministry of external affairs, JP Singh is present physically at the ceremony.

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar has joined intra-Afghan talks ceremony "virtually" which is taking place in Doha. Also Read: India to be present at intra-Afghan talks ceremony in Doha Joint Secretary, Pakistan Afghanistan & Iran (PAI) division in ministry of external affairs, JP Singh is present physically at the ceremony. India is present along with around 30 countries at the ceremony. All the countries that border Afghanistan have been invited which includes Iran, Pakistan and many central Asian countries. The ceremony starts the process of negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban. Official negotiations start on Monday. Earlier this year, India was present at the signing of US Taliban deal which was signed on February 29 in Doha. The then Indian envoy in Doha P Kumaran represented India. India is Afghanistan's major development partner and has built number infrastructure projects in the country like India Afghanistan friendship dam in the western province of Herat & the Afghan Parliament in capital Kabul. Afghan govt is being represented by Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mohamamd Hanif Atmar, Afghan President’s Special Representative on Peace Affairs Abdul Salam Rahimi and State Minister for Peace Affairs Seyed Sa’adat Mansour Naderi. In his speech, Abdullah Abdullah called for a "humanitarian ceasefire". Taliban is being represented by Abdul Ghani Baradar. US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo is in Qatar to attend the opening ceremony of Afghanistan peace negotiations. The Afghan government negotiating delegation reached for Doha on Friday to start peace negotiations with the Taliban group.

India's foreign minister Jaishankar 'virtually' joins intra-Afghan ceremony held in Doha

Washington resumed talks with the Taliban in Qatar Saturday, a US source said, three months after President Donald Trump abruptly halted diplomatic efforts that could end America's longest war.

Washington resumed talks with the Taliban in Qatar Saturday, a US source said, three months after President Donald Trump abruptly halted diplomatic efforts that could end America's longest war. "The US rejoined talks today in Doha. The focus of discussion will be reduction of violence that leads to intra-Afghan negotiations and a ceasefire," said the source briefed on efforts to end almost two decades of war in Afghanistan. In September, the United States and the Taliban had appeared on the verge of signing a deal that would have seen Washington begin withdrawing thousands of troops in return for security guarantees. It was also expected to pave the way towards direct talks between the Taliban and the government in Kabul and, ultimately, a possible peace agreement after more than 18 years of war. But that same month, Trump abruptly called the year-long effort "dead" and withdrew an invitation to the insurgents to join secret talks at his US retreat at Camp David after the killing of an American soldier. During a surprise visit to a US military base in Afghanistan last week, Trump said the Taliban "wants to make a deal."

US resumes talks with Taliban in Doha, focus on reduction of violence: US source

Days after US President Trump called off <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistans-taliban-sends-warning-to-us-president-donald-trump-in-bitter-exchange-249252">talks with the Taliban</a>, India reacted to the development asserting that any peace process should respect the political mandate and involve all sections of the Afghan society including the Afghan government.

Raveesh Kumar, the official spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs said, "We believe that all sections of the Afghan society including the legitimately elected government should be part of this process. We have supported the election, the process that is about to unfold later this month."

Explaining further, he said, "Our point of view is that any process should respect the constitutional legacy and political mandate, should not lead to any ungoverned spaces were terrorist and their proxies can relocate and should have the full concent of Afghan people and the government."

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-exclusive-in-conversation-with-najib-sharifi-a-strategic-expert-from-afghanistans-kabul-248414/embed" width="560" height="350" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" autoplay=1 allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

The foreign ministry spokesman clarified that there is no change in New Delhi's policy regarding the peace process in Afghanistan. India supports Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process and is one of the major development partner of Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

MEA spokesperson expressed confidence that any "peace process which is being taken by the international community including by the US will accommodate our concerns in this regard."

India has shared its concerns, particularly on cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan with the US and Islamabad's support to terrorism in Afghanistan. US Special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has been to India thrice this year in the backdrop of US-Taliban talks which have now been closed by Washington.

Days after US President Trump called off talks with the Taliban, India reacted to the development asserting that any peace process should respect the political mandate and involve all sections of the Afghan society including the Afghan government.

Days after US President Trump called off talks with the Taliban, India reacted to the development asserting that any peace process should respect the political mandate and involve all sections of the Afghan society including the Afghan government. Raveesh Kumar, the official spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs said, "We believe that all sections of the Afghan society including the legitimately elected government should be part of this process. We have supported the election, the process that is about to unfold later this month." Explaining further, he said, "Our point of view is that any process should respect the constitutional legacy and political mandate, should not lead to any ungoverned spaces were terrorist and their proxies can relocate and should have the full concent of Afghan people and the government." Watch Video: The foreign ministry spokesman clarified that there is no change in New Delhi's policy regarding the peace process in Afghanistan. India supports Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process and is one of the major development partner of Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. MEA spokesperson expressed confidence that any "peace process which is being taken by the international community including by the US will accommodate our concerns in this regard." India has shared its concerns, particularly on cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan with the US and Islamabad's support to terrorism in Afghanistan. US Special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has been to India thrice this year in the backdrop of US-Taliban talks which have now been closed by Washington.

Any peace process in Afghanistan should respect political mandate: India

US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad has returned to Qatar for further talks with the Taliban as he fine-tunes a deal on withdrawing troops, the State Department said on Thursday.

"Ambassador Khalilzad has returned to Doha to continue talks," a State Department spokesperson said.

Khalilzad had earlier reached an agreement "in principle" with the Taliban that would lead to an end to America's longest war, a top goal for President Donald Trump.

The internationally recognised government in Kabul, with which the Taliban have refused to negotiate, voiced concern and sought clarifications, pointing to risks.

The Taliban, however, have not relented on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/two-nato-troops-among-10-killed-in-kabul-suicide-attack-taliban-claims-responsibility-247831">violence despite negotiating</a> with the United States, killing at least 10 people including NATO troops in a bombing Thursday in Kabul.

On Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a "martyrdom seeker" - or suicide bomber - had triggered the car bomb and that 12 "foreign invaders" were killed. 
&nbsp;

US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad has returned to Qatar for further talks with the Taliban as he fine-tunes a deal on withdrawing troops, the State Department said on Thursday.

US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad has returned to Qatar for further talks with the Taliban as he fine-tunes a deal on withdrawing troops, the State Department said on Thursday. "Ambassador Khalilzad has returned to Doha to continue talks," a State Department spokesperson said. Khalilzad had earlier reached an agreement "in principle" with the Taliban that would lead to an end to America's longest war, a top goal for President Donald Trump. The internationally recognised government in Kabul, with which the Taliban have refused to negotiate, voiced concern and sought clarifications, pointing to risks. The Taliban, however, have not relented on violence despite negotiating with the United States, killing at least 10 people including NATO troops in a bombing Thursday in Kabul. On Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a "martyrdom seeker" - or suicide bomber - had triggered the car bomb and that 12 "foreign invaders" were killed.

US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad has returned to Qatar for talks with Taliban: State Department

President Donald Trump on Thursday said that US troop levels will drop to 8,600 in Afghanistan if a peace deal is reached with the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-says-near-agreement-on-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-246210"> Taliban</a> and that a permanent presence will remain.

"We're going down to 8,600 and then we make a determination from there," Trump said in an interview with Fox News radio. "We're always going to have a presence."

Trump also said that if an attack on the United States originated from<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-taliban-deal-will-not-stop-attacks-on-afghan-forces-some-taliban-say-245828"> Afghanistan</a> "we would come back with a force like... never before."

The United States, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban from power in 2001 after the September 11 attacks, wants to withdraw thousands of troops but only in return for the group renouncing Al-Qaeda and curbing attacks.

Washington is hoping to strike an agreement with the Taliban by September 1 -&nbsp;ahead of Afghan polls due the same month, and US presidential polls next year.

President Donald Trump on Thursday said that US troop levels will drop to 8,600 in Afghanistan if a peace deal is reached with the Taliban and that a permanent presence will remain.

President Donald Trump on Thursday said that US troop levels will drop to 8,600 in Afghanistan if a peace deal is reached with the Taliban and that a permanent presence will remain. "We're going down to 8,600 and then we make a determination from there," Trump said in an interview with Fox News radio. "We're always going to have a presence." Trump also said that if an attack on the United States originated from Afghanistan "we would come back with a force like... never before." The United States, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban from power in 2001 after the September 11 attacks, wants to withdraw thousands of troops but only in return for the group renouncing Al-Qaeda and curbing attacks. Washington is hoping to strike an agreement with the Taliban by September 1 - ahead of Afghan polls due the same month, and US presidential polls next year.

Will drop troop level but permanent presence to remain in Afghanistan: Trump

An Afghan campaigner who took part in breakthrough talks with the Taliban said Thursday that she saw subtle improvements in the attitude towards women of the insurgents, who severely curtailed their rights while in power.

In a meeting earlier this week in Qatar, the Islamist militants sat down with Afghan representatives and issued a joint statement that called for assuring women's rights "within the Islamic framework of Islamic values."

The conference, co-organised by Germany, came as the United States negotiates with the Taliban to pull troops from Afghanistan -- with women's rights not explicitly on the agenda.

Asila Wardak, a women's rights campaigner who works for the Afghan foreign ministry, said she was surprised at the positive atmosphere in Doha as women mingled directly with the Taliban over dinner and tea breaks.

"It was interesting to me as an Afghan woman as they didn't shake hands but they warmly welcomed us," she told a symposium at Georgetown University on the peace process, speaking by video from Kabul.

Two Taliban delegates even showed flashes of humour, telling the Afghan women that they heard they would be coming and saying, "'Please don't give us a hard time,'" she said.

"Maybe I'm wrong but their attitude has totally changed towards women, towards government employees," she said.

"But I do not say that their behaviour (changed) or, ideologically or strategically, they didn't change anything," she said, pointing to a massive blast in eastern Afghanistan that killed 12 and injured dozens of children just as the Qatar talks were opening.

Ghizaal Haress, a constitutional scholar at the American University of Afghanistan, said it remained unclear what the Taliban were saying by signing the declaration in Doha.

"The term 'Islamic regime' is very vague, it's very broad and there is a fear of what it will mean under the interpretation of the Taliban," she said.

"Do we mean an Islamic regime like the one in Malaysia or Indonesia? Do we mean an Islamic regime like Saudi Arabia or Iran? Or do we mean one like Pakistan?" she said, referring to governments with varying degrees of openness toward women.

The Taliban were notorious for their harsh treatment of women during their five-year rule of Afghanistan, which ended with the US-led invasion after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The insurgents forced women to cover themselves completely under burqas, banned them from working and restricted most education for girls.

US says watching women's role

President Donald Trump is impatient to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, believing the mission is not worth the cost after nearly two decades.&nbsp;

His administration is aiming to reach an accord with the Taliban by September.

Such a deal is expected to have two main pillars -- a US withdrawal from Afghanistan and a commitment by the militants not to offer sanctuary to jihadists.

But Zalmay Khalilzad, the US negotiator who has held seven rounds of talks with the Taliban, told the Georgetown event in a video message that he will ensure that women "have a seat, or several seats, at the negotiating table."&nbsp;

Alice Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, said that Afghanistan's future relationship with the United States will "depend heavily" on preserving the gains made by women.&nbsp;

"No current or future Afghan government should count on international donor support if that government restricts, represses or relegates Afghan women to second-class status," she said.

An Afghan campaigner who took part in breakthrough talks with the Taliban said Thursday that she saw subtle improvements in the attitude towards women of the insurgents, who severely curtailed their rights while in power.

An Afghan campaigner who took part in breakthrough talks with the Taliban said Thursday that she saw subtle improvements in the attitude towards women of the insurgents, who severely curtailed their rights while in power. In a meeting earlier this week in Qatar, the Islamist militants sat down with Afghan representatives and issued a joint statement that called for assuring women's rights "within the Islamic framework of Islamic values." The conference, co-organised by Germany, came as the United States negotiates with the Taliban to pull troops from Afghanistan -- with women's rights not explicitly on the agenda. Asila Wardak, a women's rights campaigner who works for the Afghan foreign ministry, said she was surprised at the positive atmosphere in Doha as women mingled directly with the Taliban over dinner and tea breaks. "It was interesting to me as an Afghan woman as they didn't shake hands but they warmly welcomed us," she told a symposium at Georgetown University on the peace process, speaking by video from Kabul. Two Taliban delegates even showed flashes of humour, telling the Afghan women that they heard they would be coming and saying, "'Please don't give us a hard time,'" she said. "Maybe I'm wrong but their attitude has totally changed towards women, towards government employees," she said. "But I do not say that their behaviour (changed) or, ideologically or strategically, they didn't change anything," she said, pointing to a massive blast in eastern Afghanistan that killed 12 and injured dozens of children just as the Qatar talks were opening. Ghizaal Haress, a constitutional scholar at the American University of Afghanistan, said it remained unclear what the Taliban were saying by signing the declaration in Doha. "The term 'Islamic regime' is very vague, it's very broad and there is a fear of what it will mean under the interpretation of the Taliban," she said. "Do we mean an Islamic regime like the one in Malaysia or Indonesia? Do we mean an Islamic regime like Saudi Arabia or Iran? Or do we mean one like Pakistan?" she said, referring to governments with varying degrees of openness toward women. The Taliban were notorious for their harsh treatment of women during their five-year rule of Afghanistan, which ended with the US-led invasion after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The insurgents forced women to cover themselves completely under burqas, banned them from working and restricted most education for girls. US says watching women's role President Donald Trump is impatient to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, believing the mission is not worth the cost after nearly two decades. His administration is aiming to reach an accord with the Taliban by September. Such a deal is expected to have two main pillars -- a US withdrawal from Afghanistan and a commitment by the militants not to offer sanctuary to jihadists. But Zalmay Khalilzad, the US negotiator who has held seven rounds of talks with the Taliban, told the Georgetown event in a video message that he will ensure that women "have a seat, or several seats, at the negotiating table." Alice Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, said that Afghanistan's future relationship with the United States will "depend heavily" on preserving the gains made by women. "No current or future Afghan government should count on international donor support if that government restricts, represses or relegates Afghan women to second-class status," she said.

Afghan women note Taliban shift after Doha talks

US defence ministry said today that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-fighters-double-as-reporters-to-wage-afghan-digital-war-217700">Afghan and US forces</a> had caught Haji Mohammad Ramin, the intelligence chief of Taliban for northern Baghlan province.

"Taliban intelligence chief for Baghlan, Haji Mohammad Ramin was caught alive by Afghan and US forces in Baghlan province," the Ministry of defence said in a statement.

“He was hiding in a bathroom,&nbsp;ten of his bodyguards were killed,” the statement added.

The Taliban is yet to give its side on the capture of the Ramin. The development comes even as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/relentless-taliban-violence-casts-a-pall-over-slow-afghan-talks-217529">US talks are underway </a>with the Taliban in Doha.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/taliban-intel-chief-haji-ramin-arrested-218227/embed" width="560" height="350" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" autoplay=1 allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

US special envoy on Afghanistan &nbsp;Zalmay Khalilzad had said on Saturday that America was ready for all sides involved to lay down their arms in the Afghan conflict.

Earlier, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had said he was ready to call an immediate ceasefire but the Taliban did not respond. As a gesture of goodwill, Ghani offered to release 175 prisoners.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had said in a tweet that America should "forget about the idea of us putting down our arms".

US and Taliban negotiators had wrapped up their sixth round of peace talks last Thursday. A day earlier, a Taliban attack on a US-based aid group in Kabul killed at least nine people as Taliban forces battled against security forces.

At least 20 civilians were wounded in the attack with Taliban gunmen storming the Counterpoint International office.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

US defence ministry said today that Afghan and US forces had caught Haji Mohammad Ramin, the intelligence chief of Taliban for northern Baghlan province. "Taliban intelligence chief for Baghlan, Haji Mohammad Ramin was caught alive by Afghan and US forces in Baghlan province," the Ministry of defence said in a statement.

US defence ministry said today that Afghan and US forces had caught Haji Mohammad Ramin, the intelligence chief of Taliban for northern Baghlan province. "Taliban intelligence chief for Baghlan, Haji Mohammad Ramin was caught alive by Afghan and US forces in Baghlan province," the Ministry of defence said in a statement. “He was hiding in a bathroom, ten of his bodyguards were killed,” the statement added. The Taliban is yet to give its side on the capture of the Ramin. The development comes even as US talks are underway with the Taliban in Doha. US special envoy on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had said on Saturday that America was ready for all sides involved to lay down their arms in the Afghan conflict. Earlier, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had said he was ready to call an immediate ceasefire but the Taliban did not respond. As a gesture of goodwill, Ghani offered to release 175 prisoners. Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had said in a tweet that America should "forget about the idea of us putting down our arms". US and Taliban negotiators had wrapped up their sixth round of peace talks last Thursday. A day earlier, a Taliban attack on a US-based aid group in Kabul killed at least nine people as Taliban forces battled against security forces. At least 20 civilians were wounded in the attack with Taliban gunmen storming the Counterpoint International office.

Afghan Taliban intelligence chief caught in Baghlan

Peace talks between the US and the Taliban were suspended for the beginning of Ramadan on Monday, with the two sides at apparent loggerheads over the key issue of when foreign forces might leave Afghanistan.

The foes have spent much of the past week in the sixth round of talks in Doha aimed at ending America's longest war, but the Taliban say negotiations have become bogged down.

In a tweet, Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the talks were pausing for the first day of the holy month of Ramadan -- when Muslims fast during the day -- but would be resumed Tuesday.

Sultan Barakat, the director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies in Doha, also said the talks would resume Tuesday, and that they had made "good progress".

But Shaheen told AFP late Sunday negotiations were stumbling over the fundamental question of when foreign forces would depart Afghanistan.

Before the US agrees to any withdrawal, it is demanding the Taliban put in place security guarantees, a ceasefire and other commitments including an "intra-Afghan" dialogue with the Kabul government and other Afghan representatives.

The insurgents insist they won't do any of these things until the US announces a withdrawal timeline.

At the end of a large peace summit in Kabul last week, President Ashraf Ghani offered the Taliban a ceasefire to begin on the first day of Ramadan, but the insurgents refused.

Ghani on Monday reiterated his call for the Taliban to respect demands from last week's "loya jirga" summit that saw thousands of tribal elders and Afghans meet in Kabul.&nbsp;

"Ramadan is a month of peace and reconciliation," Ghani said.&nbsp;

"I once again call on the Taliban to pay respect to this month and the demands of the people for peace and reconciliation reflected (in the Loya Jirga)."

On Sunday, at least 13 people were killed and dozens more wounded after a Taliban suicide bomber and several gunmen attacked a police headquarters in northern Afghanistan.

Peace talks between the US and the Taliban were suspended for the beginning of Ramadan on Monday, with the two sides at apparent loggerheads over the key issue of when foreign forces might leave Afghanistan.

Peace talks between the US and the Taliban were suspended for the beginning of Ramadan on Monday, with the two sides at apparent loggerheads over the key issue of when foreign forces might leave Afghanistan. The foes have spent much of the past week in the sixth round of talks in Doha aimed at ending America's longest war, but the Taliban say negotiations have become bogged down. In a tweet, Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the talks were pausing for the first day of the holy month of Ramadan -- when Muslims fast during the day -- but would be resumed Tuesday. Sultan Barakat, the director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies in Doha, also said the talks would resume Tuesday, and that they had made "good progress". But Shaheen told AFP late Sunday negotiations were stumbling over the fundamental question of when foreign forces would depart Afghanistan. Before the US agrees to any withdrawal, it is demanding the Taliban put in place security guarantees, a ceasefire and other commitments including an "intra-Afghan" dialogue with the Kabul government and other Afghan representatives. The insurgents insist they won't do any of these things until the US announces a withdrawal timeline. At the end of a large peace summit in Kabul last week, President Ashraf Ghani offered the Taliban a ceasefire to begin on the first day of Ramadan, but the insurgents refused. Ghani on Monday reiterated his call for the Taliban to respect demands from last week's "loya jirga" summit that saw thousands of tribal elders and Afghans meet in Kabul. "Ramadan is a month of peace and reconciliation," Ghani said. "I once again call on the Taliban to pay respect to this month and the demands of the people for peace and reconciliation reflected (in the Loya Jirga)." On Sunday, at least 13 people were killed and dozens more wounded after a Taliban suicide bomber and several gunmen attacked a police headquarters in northern Afghanistan.

US-Taliban peace talks paused for first day of Ramazan

US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-envoy-returns-after-taliban-afghan-talks-scuttled-212670">Zalmay Khalilzad will be in Delhi </a>in the next few weeks. This will be his second&nbsp;visit to India this year. He was in India in early January when he met external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

The State Department in a release said,"Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, and the United Kingdom from April 21st to May 11th, as part of the overall effort to facilitate a political settlement that ends the conflict in Afghanistan."

Adding further, the release said, in London, Moscow, Islamabad, and New Delhi, he will work to build international support for the Afghan peace process to help ensure that any peace settlement reached will be sustainable."&nbsp;

Foriegn secretary Vijay Gokhale had met the US envoy in March in Washington and&nbsp;had appraised India's view on the Afghan peace process.

India which backs&nbsp;"Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled"&nbsp;was clearly conveyed to US officials. Gokhale had also conveyed&nbsp;that New Delhi would like continuation of current political structure which has been&nbsp;arrived at after 18 years.

India has been engaging with regional countries - Iran,Russia, China, central Asian countries -&nbsp;regarding the Afghan peace process.&nbsp;

India last year had participated at an "unofficial level" at Moscow format talks by sending its former ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha and former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan.

US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad will be in Delhi in the next few weeks. This will be his second visit to India this year.

US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad will be in Delhi in the next few weeks. This will be his second visit to India this year. He was in India in early January when he met external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. The State Department in a release said,"Zalmay Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, and the United Kingdom from April 21st to May 11th, as part of the overall effort to facilitate a political settlement that ends the conflict in Afghanistan." Adding further, the release said, in London, Moscow, Islamabad, and New Delhi, he will work to build international support for the Afghan peace process to help ensure that any peace settlement reached will be sustainable." Foriegn secretary Vijay Gokhale had met the US envoy in March in Washington and had appraised India's view on the Afghan peace process. India which backs "Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled" was clearly conveyed to US officials. Gokhale had also conveyed that New Delhi would like continuation of current political structure which has been arrived at after 18 years. India has been engaging with regional countries - Iran,Russia, China, central Asian countries - regarding the Afghan peace process. India last year had participated at an "unofficial level" at Moscow format talks by sending its former ambassador to Afghanistan Amar Sinha and former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan.

US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad to visit India

The US and the Taliban have paused negotiations in Doha, with the diplomatic push aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan set to restart over the weekend following "solid" talks between the adversaries.

The latest meetings follow marathon talks last month that saw the US and the Taliban walk away with a "draft framework" focused on a potential US troop withdrawal and a pact to prevent Afghanistan from harbouring terrorists.&nbsp;

"Emerging from three solid days of talks with the Taliban in #Doha. Meetings were productive," tweeted US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading the American side during the negotiations.

"We continue to take slow, steady steps toward understanding and eventually #peace," he said.

"Both sides will take the next two days for internal deliberations, with plans to regroup on Saturday," Khalilzad added.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed the pause, adding the insurgents were "committed to the current peace process along with peace".

The US has continued to push for a ceasefire in the war-torn country and the opening of negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government.&nbsp;

The Taliban, however, has repeatedly refused to meet with officials of the Afghan government, whom they dismiss as "puppets".

Khalilzad hinted that headway was being made on the issue, tweeting "there is also progress on forming a national team in #Kabul ready to engage in intra-Afghan dialogue and talks with the Taliban".&nbsp;

Earlier in the week, the special envoy met with the Taliban's top political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Doha, in what has been touted as the highest-level engagement between the two sides in the months-long diplomatic thrust. &nbsp;

Khalilzad welcomed the presence of Baradar -- a co-founder of the Islamist movement -- at the table, calling the militants' negotiating side a "more authoritative Taliban delegation".

Baradar is believed to be widely respected by the Taliban’s various factions and analysts said his participation would help garner support for any deal from insurgents on the frontlines.&nbsp;

General Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is also attending the talks.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his eagerness to end America's involvement in Afghanistan, where 14,000 US troops are still deployed.

Afghanistan has been enmeshed in nearly constant conflict since the Soviet invasion of 1979, which was followed by civil war, the Taliban regime, and the US invasion in late 2001.

The US and the Taliban have paused negotiations in Doha, with the diplomatic push aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan set to restart over the weekend following "solid" talks between the adversaries.

The US and the Taliban have paused negotiations in Doha, with the diplomatic push aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan set to restart over the weekend following "solid" talks between the adversaries. The latest meetings follow marathon talks last month that saw the US and the Taliban walk away with a "draft framework" focused on a potential US troop withdrawal and a pact to prevent Afghanistan from harbouring terrorists. "Emerging from three solid days of talks with the Taliban in #Doha. Meetings were productive," tweeted US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who is leading the American side during the negotiations. "We continue to take slow, steady steps toward understanding and eventually #peace," he said. "Both sides will take the next two days for internal deliberations, with plans to regroup on Saturday," Khalilzad added. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed the pause, adding the insurgents were "committed to the current peace process along with peace". The US has continued to push for a ceasefire in the war-torn country and the opening of negotiations between the Taliban and the Kabul government. The Taliban, however, has repeatedly refused to meet with officials of the Afghan government, whom they dismiss as "puppets". Khalilzad hinted that headway was being made on the issue, tweeting "there is also progress on forming a national team in #Kabul ready to engage in intra-Afghan dialogue and talks with the Taliban". Earlier in the week, the special envoy met with the Taliban's top political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Doha, in what has been touted as the highest-level engagement between the two sides in the months-long diplomatic thrust. Khalilzad welcomed the presence of Baradar -- a co-founder of the Islamist movement -- at the table, calling the militants' negotiating side a "more authoritative Taliban delegation". Baradar is believed to be widely respected by the Taliban’s various factions and analysts said his participation would help garner support for any deal from insurgents on the frontlines. General Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is also attending the talks. President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his eagerness to end America's involvement in Afghanistan, where 14,000 US troops are still deployed. Afghanistan has been enmeshed in nearly constant conflict since the Soviet invasion of 1979, which was followed by civil war, the Taliban regime, and the US invasion in late 2001.

US, Taliban pause negotiations in Doha following 'solid' talks

The top US envoy for peace in Afghanistan met a senior Taliban leader in Qatar on Monday as the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/the-work-begins-us-taliban-arrive-in-doha-for-fresh-talks-199668"> two sides resumed talks to end 17 years of war </a>despite the insurgents' continued refusal to deal with the Kabul government.

Zalmay Khalilzad, named last year to lead the US peace effort, met Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and the movement's political chief, for the first time in Doha. Talks were expected to run for at least four days.

"Just finished a working lunch with Mullah Baradar and his team. The first time we've met. Now moving on to talks," Khalilzad tweeted.

Even with peace talks under way, the war in Afghanistan killed almost 4,000 civilians in 2018, including a record number of children, making it the single deadliest year for Afghan civilians since the United Nations began documenting casualties a decade ago.

Baradar arrived in Doha on Sunday, but sources said it was not clear whether he would attend all the meetings, which diplomats in Kabul said were expected to focus on clinching a ceasefire before the onset of warmer spring weather prompts an escalation of fighting, as in previous years.

The last round of talks ended in Qatar in January.

Baradar, a veteran fighter and figure of considerable influence within the Taliban, was released from a Pakistani jail last year. His appointment was widely seen as a fresh effort by the Taliban to emerge from the political and diplomatic shadows.

Last week the Taliban said that Baradar had named a 14-member team for the talks and would not go to Qatar, but his plans changed on Sunday.

'Confusion'

"There was much confusion whether Mullah Baradar should travel to Qatar or not. Some of our people wanted him to go there but avoid participation in the peace talks. Others wanted him to go and supervise the peace talks," said a senior Taliban leader in Afghanistan.

American negotiators, who have held multiple rounds of talks with Taliban leaders since last year, want Baradar to attend the talks to be able to resolve key sticking points: the timing of a ceasefire and the possible withdrawal of foreign forces.

"What was the point of Baradar's release if he wants to stay away from the talks?" said a senior diplomat in Kabul, adding that US negotiators had to provide assurances to lift a travel ban on some Taliban leaders to get Baradar to travel to Qatar.

Last week, the United States and Russia agreed to explore options to revoke a UN travel ban on Taliban negotiators, one of the key demands of the group.

Taliban officials have so far rejected the Afghan government's offer to hold direct talks but Kabul is planning to hold a grand council of tribal elders and political leaders next month to discuss how to end the Taliban insurgency.

Sohail Shahin, a Taliban spokesman, said US and Taliban officials are expected to focus on the details of a framework deal reached in principle last month - American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan in return for a Taliban guarantee that Afghan territory would never be used by militants.

"The ceasefire is one of the big issues that will be discussed at the last stage of this round of peace talks," said Shahin. "We are optimistic about the ongoing talks which can end with good progress...It is possible that the Taliban do not refresh or announce their spring offensive."

The top US envoy for peace in Afghanistan met a senior Taliban leader in Qatar on Monday as the two sides resumed talks to end 17 years of war despite the insurgents' continued refusal to deal with the Kabul government.

The top US envoy for peace in Afghanistan met a senior Taliban leader in Qatar on Monday as the two sides resumed talks to end 17 years of war despite the insurgents' continued refusal to deal with the Kabul government. Zalmay Khalilzad, named last year to lead the US peace effort, met Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and the movement's political chief, for the first time in Doha. Talks were expected to run for at least four days. "Just finished a working lunch with Mullah Baradar and his team. The first time we've met. Now moving on to talks," Khalilzad tweeted. Even with peace talks under way, the war in Afghanistan killed almost 4,000 civilians in 2018, including a record number of children, making it the single deadliest year for Afghan civilians since the United Nations began documenting casualties a decade ago. Baradar arrived in Doha on Sunday, but sources said it was not clear whether he would attend all the meetings, which diplomats in Kabul said were expected to focus on clinching a ceasefire before the onset of warmer spring weather prompts an escalation of fighting, as in previous years. The last round of talks ended in Qatar in January. Baradar, a veteran fighter and figure of considerable influence within the Taliban, was released from a Pakistani jail last year. His appointment was widely seen as a fresh effort by the Taliban to emerge from the political and diplomatic shadows. Last week the Taliban said that Baradar had named a 14-member team for the talks and would not go to Qatar, but his plans changed on Sunday. 'Confusion' "There was much confusion whether Mullah Baradar should travel to Qatar or not. Some of our people wanted him to go there but avoid participation in the peace talks. Others wanted him to go and supervise the peace talks," said a senior Taliban leader in Afghanistan. American negotiators, who have held multiple rounds of talks with Taliban leaders since last year, want Baradar to attend the talks to be able to resolve key sticking points: the timing of a ceasefire and the possible withdrawal of foreign forces. "What was the point of Baradar's release if he wants to stay away from the talks?" said a senior diplomat in Kabul, adding that US negotiators had to provide assurances to lift a travel ban on some Taliban leaders to get Baradar to travel to Qatar. Last week, the United States and Russia agreed to explore options to revoke a UN travel ban on Taliban negotiators, one of the key demands of the group. Taliban officials have so far rejected the Afghan government's offer to hold direct talks but Kabul is planning to hold a grand council of tribal elders and political leaders next month to discuss how to end the Taliban insurgency. Sohail Shahin, a Taliban spokesman, said US and Taliban officials are expected to focus on the details of a framework deal reached in principle last month - American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan in return for a Taliban guarantee that Afghan territory would never be used by militants. "The ceasefire is one of the big issues that will be discussed at the last stage of this round of peace talks," said Shahin. "We are optimistic about the ongoing talks which can end with good progress...It is possible that the Taliban do not refresh or announce their spring offensive."

US, Taliban resume Afghan peace talks before spring fighting season

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