The Taliban and the United States (US) have agreed to the framework for an agreement which could pave a way for peace talks with the Afghan government and put an end to its 17-year-old conflict.
According to Al-Jazeera news reports, the US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said the Taliban would also guarantee that Afghan country will never be used as a platform by any other country for terrorism in return to full American troops’ pullout from the nation.
Khalilzad further said the Taliban concessions must also include a truce and deal to hold talks with the Afghanistan government, a prospect which the Taliban has repeatedly disagreed to.
In an interview in Kabul on Sunday, the NYT quoted Khalilzad as saying: “We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement. The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals.”
The Afghan-born US envoy added: “We felt enough confidence that we said we need to get this fleshed out, and details need to be worked out.”
Acting US defence secretary Patrick Shanahan described the talks as “encouraging”.
Khalilzad said, “The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals.”
However, he gave no further details over the matter, the media reports believed that the Taliban had agreed to fight al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Levant and Iraq in Afghanistan.
On Monday, in a televised address, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said, “I call on the Taliban to … show their Afghan will, and accept Afghans’ demand for peace, and enter serious talks with the Afghan government.” “We want peace, we want it fast but we want it with a plan,” he said.
Ghani said, “No Afghan wants foreign troops to remain in their country indefinitely. No Afghan wants to face suicide attacks in hospitals, schools, the mosques, and parks.”
The Taliban and the US have agreed to continue their negotiation, though no further information has been publicly announced.