US Special Representative for Afghanistan Meets with Taliban in Qatar and Leaders in Kabul

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, after his trips to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, met with Afghan leaders in Kabul to update them on the latest US efforts to achieve peace. Meanwhile, the Afghan High Peace Council states that "serious efforts" are underway to initiate practical peace talks. Zalmay Khalilzad, an American diplomat born in Mazar-i-Sharif and former US ambassador in Kabul, met on October 13 with Ashraf Ghani, the President, and Abdullah Abdullah, the Chief Executive of Afghanistan. The American diplomat briefed Afghan leaders on his negotiations in the four countries he visited. The new US efforts aim to bring the Taliban back to the negotiating table. The Afghan Presidential Palace has not released much detail about the meeting between Ghani and Khalilzad. However, Azizullah Din Mohammad, Deputy of the High Peace Council, told Radio Free Europe (Dari section) that Khalilzad's selection by the US to advance the peace process and his trips to regional countries indicate that a path to peace talks is opening. Mr. Din Mohammad stated, "This time, efforts are serious for the peace process, and US efforts are also serious; this seriousness clarifies that there will definitely be results, and for this reason, we are hopeful about his trips." Khalilzad's trip to the region began on October 3. Although the US State Department has not officially mentioned a meeting between Khalilzad and the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, stated in a statement that they met and discussed "efforts to achieve a peaceful solution." Mujahid noted that the presence of foreign forces remains the "main obstacle" to achieving peace from their perspective, but "both sides discussed ending the occupation and a peaceful solution to the Afghan issue... and both sides agreed to continue their meetings in the future." A senior Taliban official also mentioned that Khalilzad asked the Taliban to announce a ceasefire for six months. From the statements and declarations of Taliban officials, it appears that the two sides have not yet reached a definitive conclusion on a specific issue but have agreed to continue negotiations. On the other hand, some experts and analysts state that currently, efforts remain at the negotiation level, and it remains to be seen what the final outcome will be. Najib Ningal, one of these analysts, told Radio Free Europe that the visits and meetings are at the level of discussion, and the results will only be felt when the practical peace negotiations between government officials and the armed Taliban begin. Last week, the United Nations announced that civilian casualties in Afghanistan remain "very severe" and have reached the highest number since 2014 in the first nine months of this year.