The Taliban and the United States officials kicked off their renewed round of Afghan peace talks on Wednesday, aimed at putting an end to the 17-year-long Afghan war and crisis, while the Afghan government and people summoned in a rare assembly, Loya Jirga, in the capital Kabul to ensure its interest in any peace deal.
According to Reuters news reports, spokesperson for the Taliban Zabihullah Mujahid said no Afghan representatives were allowed to attend the sixth round of Taliban-US peace talks in the capital Doha, Qatar.
Mujahid told Reuters: “There will be no other side except the U.S. and Taliban representatives in the meeting, but some Qatari officials will remain present as hosts.”
Thousands of Afghanis summoned in the capital, Kabul, on Monday to address a rare consultative assembly, aimed at paving ways to negotiate an agreement with the Taliban to end to the crisis.
A rare four-day consultative meeting, also called as a Loya Jirga, was an attempt by Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to facilitate peace talks between the Taliban and the US, which the Taliban excluded his own government from.
Ghani also invited the Taliban to attend the Loya Jirga, but however, they denied the request and urged its people to boycott it, further denouncing it as an effort by US-backed government to deceive Afghan and extend so-called “illegitimate rule”.
Also read: Afghanis summon for Loya Jirga’ assembly, aims at ways to negotiate peace deal with Taliban