Featured Afghanistan Peace Process

[CrazyZ]

Taliban, Govt Forces Engaged in 'Silent,' Unreported War: MoD

The Taliban resumed their attacks on the Afghan forces only a few days after the group signed a peace deal with the US in Doha.

The Taliban continue their attacks on Afghan security forces across the country, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.

Sometimes, the Afghan security forces counter-attack, said the MoD.

“Within the parameters of the active defense mode, these Taliban attacks were repelled and massive casualties were inflicted on the Taliban. The group suffered massive casualties in Arghandab district of Zabul province,” said Rohullah Ahmadzai, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

The Taliban in recent days has not said anything officially about their attacks on the Afghan forces, and Afghan security officials have said that the government forces are still in "active defense position."

But, the security experts say that the two sides are engaging in a ‘silent war’ against each other.

“This situation has caused the Taliban to be more greedy for power, so they have expanded the war, nothing can deter the Taliban from war unless there is a change in the political situation in Kabul,” said Assadullah Nadiom, a military expert in Kabul.

The Taliban resumed their attacks on the Afghan forces only a few days after the group signed a peace deal with the US in Doha on February 29.

But the Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who recently tweeted about the Taliban’s military activities, now tweets about other issues, including the delayed peace process, and about allegations that government forces are causing civilian casualties.

“We lost a number of our soldiers in Zabul and Takhar provinces, including the fall of a district to the Taliban in Badakhshan which was retaken by the security forces later,” said Nazifa Zaki, a member of parliament.

This comes after eighteen months of negotiations in Doha, after which the United States and the Taliban officially signed a peace deal on February 29 intended to pave the way for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in exchange for a number of solid assurances by the Taliban to the US and its allies.

The US-Taliban deal initially caused hope among Afghans that this time there would be peace, but on the ground, the Taliban and the Afghan government forces are still fighting.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-govt-forces-engaged-silent-unreported-war-mod

Taliban never agreed to a cease fire. Force is part of any war negotiation. If Kabul is serious about a peace deal then it should honor the prisoner release.

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Pompeo says Afghanistan peace progress made since his March 23 Kabul visit

APRIL 7, 2020 / 9:05 PM / UPDATED 19 HOURS AGO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said a U.S.-led Afghanistan peacemaking drive has seen progress since he visited Kabul last month to persuade the Afghan president and his main political foe to end their leadership feud.


“We’ve made some progress, but we see them posturing in the media, we see statements that come out,” Pompeo told a State Department news conference.


Pompeo paid a one-day visit to Kabul on March 23 to pressure Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and political rival Abdullah Abdullah to end a feud over a disputed September presidential election that saw them both claim victory and hold competing inaugurations.

Pompeo told the news conference all of the Afghan sides must begin negotiations on a political settlement that ends decades of war.

“I’m confident in the days ahead we’ll have things that look like steps backward, but I’m also hopeful that all the parties are sincere and wanting what’s good for the Afghan people,” Pompeo said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-since-his-march-23-kabul-visit-idUSKBN21P2K2

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Afghan government releases 100 Taliban prisoners

2020-04-08

Afghanistan government said it released 100 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday as part of efforts for peace and containment of coronavirus.

In a statement, the National Security Council said that the prisoners were on the broader list which the Taliban technical team shared and discussed during meetings with the technical team of the government in Kabul.

"The National Directorate of Security and the Attorney General’s Office thoroughly vetted the prisoners, who have taken an oath never to return to the battlefield," the statement said.

"The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has received the same assurance from the group’s leadership in Doha."

The release took place according to routine procedure after the prisoners enrolled biometrically, it added.

The release came on the day the Taliban's political office in Qatar asked its technical team to immediately return as it blamed the government for delay in prisoner release.

"The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan remains open continuing joint technical work with the Taliban in order to advance the peace process," NSC's statement said.

Earlier, sources told 1TV that the batch didn't include 15 commanders the Taliban were demanding.

http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/41774

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Afghan government to release another 100 Taliban prisoners today

Afghan government said it will release another 100 Taliban prisoners today (Thursday) under President Ashraf Ghani's decree issued on March 11.

They will be freed based on their age, health condition and remaining jail term, Javid Faisal, a spokesman for National Security Council, said on Twitter.

On Tuesday, the government released 100 Taliban prisoners in first batch.

According to the decree, 1,500 Taliban prisoners will be released within 15 days.

The US-Taliban deal stipulated the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 held by the group by March 10 when intra-Afghan talks were scheduled to begin.

The Taliban, however, has rejected the government's releases as not being according to the deal.

Taliban sources told 1TV on Thursday that the group's technical team sent to Kabul had left the city.

http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/41776

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Daesh Claims Rocket Attack on US Airbase, No Casualties

Five rockets were fired at Bagram airbase in Parwan on Thursday morning.

At least five rockets fired were fired at Bagram airbase in Parwan province early on Thursday morning, said Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior. A vehicle was destroyed but there were no casualties, said the ministry.

Resolute Support Mission tweeted a confirmation: "Five rockets were fired at Bagram airfield early this morning. There were no casualties or injuries. Our ANDSF partners are investigating the incident."

Daesh claimed the rocket attack, according to Reuters, which cited an online message from the group.

The Taliban has rejected involvement in today's rocket attack at Bagram airbase in northern Parwan province.

The attack on the US airbase is significant because of the terms of the US-Taliban peace deal signed on February 29, which states that the Taliban will not attack US bases, even as fighting continues between US-backed Afghan government forces and the Taliban.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/daesh-claims-rocket-attack-us-airbase-no-casualties

 

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1248902511815208960

 

[Haris Ali2140]

US Gen. Miller Meets with Taliban in Doha

A US forces spokesman says the meeting was about the need to reduce the violence in Afghanistan.

Gen. Austin S. Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, met with the Taliban leadership in Doha on Friday, said Col. Sonny Leggett, spokesman for the US forces in Afghanistan.

Leggett said the meeting was “part of the military channel established in the (US-Taliban) agreement,” adding that “the meeting was about the need to reduce the violence.”

Taliban also confirmed the meeting. A spokesman of the group in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said in a tweet that the meeting was about the implementation of the US-Taliban deal and the violations that have happened so far.

As part of the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha on Feb. 29, the Taliban should not attack US military facilities in Afghanistan. The release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners is also part of the agreement.

Shaheen said attacks that have happened in “non-combat” areas were also discussed in the meeting.

The Afghan government has started the release of Taliban prisoners and has freed 200 of them. But the Taliban on Friday said some “unidentified” prisoners have been released while their team is not in Kabul to monitor the process, as agreed. The group has said that this is a "hurdle" in the way of the peace process.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/us-gen-miller-meets-taliban-doha

 

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1248731243287662593

 

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1249184495661715456

 

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1249229992669728768

 

[Shapur]

This prisoner release and progress in peace talks is making some parties really uneasy as their time is soon coming to an end. Hopefully the sacrifices of the past 50 years by the mujahadeen will be rewarded. InshaAllah

 

[Haris Ali2140]

Khalilzad, Miller meet Taliban in Qatar
2020-04-14 | 8 hour ago

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and US commander of international forces in Afghanistan Scott Miller met Taliban leadership in Doha on Monday to discuss the implementation of their agreement, the group said.

"They talked about complete implementation of the Agreement as well as delay in the release of the prisoners," Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter. "Violations of the Agreement and other issues and ways of their solutions were also discussed."

He said that the meeting was hosted by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdur Rahman al-Thani.

The meeting came three days after Miller met Taliban leadership to discuss the need to reduce violence in Afghanistan.

It came on the same day the Taliban released 20 Afghan government prisoners after the government freed more than 300.

The US State Department in a statement said the meeting was “to discuss current challenges in implementing the U.S -Taliban Agreement."

A source told 1TV that Miller focused on the need to reduce violence and creating the conditions for intra-Afghan negotiations. He underscored that all sides should capitalize on the opportunity for peace.

Under the US-Taliban deal, up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and up to 1,000 prisoners held by the group were stipulated to be released by March 10 when intra-Afghan talks were scheduled to begin.

http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/41810

 

[Haris Ali2140]

NATO chief calls on Taliban to reduce violence

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday called on the Taliban to reduce violence to fully implement their agreement with the United States.

"The Taliban attacks are harmful. Therefore, we call on the Taliban to cease the attacks to fully implement the agreement between the United States and the Taliban and to reduce violence because that’s the only way towards a peaceful negotiated solution," Stoltenberg said addressing reporters at a press conference ahead of the meeting of NATO's defense ministers.

He welcomed the fact that the Afghan government has appointed an inclusive negotiating team.

"We urge all parties to fully respect the promise to reduce violence and make all their efforts to implement the agreement and to initiate the intra-Afghan negotiations," Stoltenberg said.

NATO commander in Afghanistan, Scott Miller, and US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad recently met with the Taliban leadership in Doha.

Stoltenberg welcomed it saying it was "to try to facilitate a peace process which is the only way to reach peaceful negotiated solution in Afghanistan."

Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO will continue to "stay committed to Afghanistan with financial support, with our Resolute Support mission, with training."

"We believe that the best way for us to support the peace process is to continue the support to the Afghans so that the Taliban understand that they will never win on the battlefield. They have to sit down at the negotiating table and make real compromises," Stoltenberg said.

http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/41820

 

[Haris Ali2140]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1249813958606893077

 

[Haris Ali2140]

US special envoy visits Pakistan to discuss Afghan peace
2020-04-14 | 3 hour ago

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the top NATO commander in Afghanistan met Pakistani officials on Tuesday, discussing ongoing efforts for peace in Afghanistan.

Khalilzad, who signed an agreement with the Taliban in February, met the chief of the Pakistan army staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa along with Gen. Scott Miller, commander of the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

Khalilzad and General Miller discussed the United States’ ongoing efforts for a sustainable peace in Afghanistan, US embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

Pakistan’s military leaders reaffirmed their support for US efforts and renewed their commitment to act to advance a political settlement to the conflict, according to the statement.

The visit came a day after Khalilzad and Miller met Taliban leadership in Qatar to discuss current challenges in implementing the US-Taliban deal.


http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/41823