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Afghan government warns Taliban to come back to table

Government negotiator Rasul Talib has asked the Taliban to “stop spreading baseless remarks" and resume peace talks in Doha, Qatar where the second round of peace talks began this month but has made little progress.

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In this September 12, 2020 photo, a Taliban delegation arrives to attend the opening session of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.

A member of the Afghan government's peace negotiating team warned the Taliban that if they don't resume peace talks in Qatar soon, the government could recall the team before a deal is reached.

Government negotiator Rasul Talib said on Sunday in a news conference that the team is waiting for the return of the Taliban leadership to Doha, where the second round of peace talks began this month but has made little progress.

He asked the Taliban to “stop spreading baseless remarks" and return to the negotiating table, adding “The Taliban does not have the guts for peace, they are spreading nonsense around.”

US to review peace deal

There was no immediate response from the Taliban.

Talib's comments came as the Taliban leadership has recently been in Iran and Russia for discussions on the negotiations, and as President Joe Biden's new administration has said it plans to review the peace agreement signed last February between the US and the Taliban.

The Pentagon said last week that the Taliban’s refusal to meet commitments to reduce violence in Afghanistan is raising questions about whether all US troops will be able to leave by May as required under the peace deal.

Following discussions in Moscow on Friday, the head of the Taliban delegation, Sher Mohammed Abbas Stanikzai, said the group expects the US to fulfill its pledge to withdraw all of its troops from Afghanistan by May.

Fears of security vacuum

The US announced in mid-January that the US military has met its goal of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan to about 2,500.

Stanikzai has also demanded the resignation of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, calling his administration an obstacle to peace, and a spike in violence has decreased optimism among Afghans the peace process will work.

Meanwhile, the Afghan peace negotiating team praised President Biden’s administration for its decision to review the US-Taliban peace deal, saying the deal favours the Taliban.

Talib asked the new US administration to withdraw its forces in a way that will prevent a security vacuum in the country and prevent the possibility of more militant attacks in Afghanistan and against the US and other countries.

The Taliban on Sunday mistakenly fired two mortars in northern Faryab province killing two civilians and wounding 14 others, said the provincial police spokesman, Karim Yuresh.
He said Afghan security checkpoints were targeted but the shells missed the checkpoints and hit the civilians.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the group fired mortars toward civilians and accused Afghan forces of firing the mortars and causing the casualties.

SOURCE: AP