Afghan Taliban Watch

[Abu Zarrar]

Taliban threaten to end talks with US on ending Afghan war
Kabul, Jan 15 (AP) The Taliban issued a statement Tuesday threatening to end contact with the US even as Washington's peace envoy makes another round of the region in pursuit of a negotiated end to Afghanistan's protracted conflict before a frustrated President Donald Trump makes good on his 2016 campaign promise to end America's involvement.
Earlier in the day, the US Embassy in Kabul said Zalmay Khalilzad had arrived in Kabul following visits to India, the United Arab Emirates and China. Khalilzad was to meet President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other political leaders to discuss the next steps in US efforts to get an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process started.
The Taliban have refused repeatedly to meet directly with representatives of the Kabul government. According to the insurgent statement, the US agreed in meetings in November on a two-point agenda: Withdrawal of foreign troops and guarantees that Afghanistan would not again be used as it was by al-Qaida to plot attacks on other countries.
The statement accused Washington of seeking to expand the agenda, presumably a reference to a US demand that the Taliban hold direct talks with the Afghan government.
Meanwhile, Khalilzad was expected in Pakistan following his meetings in the Afghan capital.
There were reports Tuesday that Pakistan had arrested Taliban leader Hafiz Mohibullah in Peshawar, in northwest Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan. Taliban officials, who confirmed the arrest, said he was later released. Mohibullah is a member of the Taliban political commission based in Pakistan. Previously he was head of the Taliban military commission overseeing operations in 18 norther and eastern provinces

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...ory.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.db49ecd81d27

 

[Abu Zarrar]

Taliban officials say Pakistan applying pressure over Afghan talks
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The arrest of a senior Taliban leader in Pakistan this week underlines a push by the government in Islamabad to pressure the insurgents to open talks with the Afghan government, Taliban officials said.

Hafiz Mohibullah, a senior military commander who has been closely involved in talks with the United States, was arrested in Peshawar, close to the border with Afghanistan, at the weekend but was subsequently released.

“After his arrest, Pakistani authorities started raids on many other houses of the Taliban movement, their friends and commanders in different places in Pakistan,” said one senior Taliban leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Taliban confirmed that Mohibullah had been released on Wednesday and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was safe.
The move came as talks between Taliban representatives and U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad hit a stumbling block after the insurgents issued a statement on Tuesday threatening to stall peace talks.

Khalilzad, who arrived in Kabul on Tuesday, was due to meet Taliban representatives in Qatar last week but the meeting was canceled.

The Taliban have so far refused to talk to the Afghan government, which they dismiss as a puppet regime put in place by foreign powers.
According to Taliban sources, the dispute highlights a split that has emerged among countries with an interest in the region, with Pakistan and the United States pushing the Taliban to open talks with Kabul and other countries, including Iran, supporting the Taliban’s stance.

“Iran and Qatar are supporting Taliban’s way but Pakistan is saying what the Afghan government and the U.S. wanted,” he said.

Officials in Islamabad say Pakistan is keenly aware that Afghanistan will continue to need huge amounts of foreign aid to keep its shattered economy afloat after any peace settlement and have been working closely with the United States.

Islamabad fears that any hasty withdrawal of foreign forces could trigger an uncontrolled collapse of the Afghan government, leaving a vacuum that could send tens of thousands of refugees across the border.

The Afghan government regularly accuses Pakistan of providing support to the Taliban. Pakistani officials deny this but say they have a degree of influence which they have been using to try to persuade the movement to accept peace talks.

Source:https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ying-pressure-over-afghan-talks-idUSKCN1PA1JJ

 

[Abu Zarrar]

US tells Taliban it must talk to Afghan government

Kabul -The US envoy in Afghanistan said Wednesday that a peaceful end to the 17-year conflict requires the Taliban to engage in direct talks with the Afghan government, which they have consistently refused.

Zalmay Khalilzad spoke to reporters in Kabul on his latest visit to the war-torn country, where he is at the centre of a flurry of diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict which began with the US invasion of 2001.

"The road to peace will require Taliban to sit with other Afghans, including the government," Khalilzad said.

"There is a consensus among all regional partners on this point," he added, according to quotes sent to AFP by the US embassy in Kabul.

The insurgents have long refused to hold direct talks with the Kabul government, which they dismiss as a puppet of Washington.

Taliban representatives have met several times with US officials in recent months, but earlier this week threatened to suspend the fledgling peace efforts, accusing the US of changing the agenda of the talks and "unilaterally" adding new subjects.

"If the Talibs want to talk, we can talk, if they want to fight we can fight. We hope that the Talibs want to make peace," Khalilzad said in response to the threat.

The envoy arrived in Kabul late Tuesday, where he met with the country´s political leaders. On his third tour of the region since his appointment in September, he had previously travelled to India, the United Arab Emirates and China. He is expected next in Pakistan.

His tour comes shortly after US officials said in December that President Donald Trump intends to withdraw as many as half of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan.

Khalilzad Wednesday said that if the Taliban choose to continue fighting, "the United States will stand with the Afghan government and the Afghan people and support them".

He dismissed reports the US wanted to maintain military bases in the country.

"We have never said we want permanent military bases in Afghanistan," he said.

"What we want is to see this conflict end through negotiation, and to continue our partnership with Afghanistan, and to ensure no terrorist threatens either of us."

In the long run the US is seeking a military, diplomatic and economic relationship with Afghanistan, he added.

Khalilzad, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan, said he hopes for fresh talks with the Taliban "very soon".

The US is not the only country dancing around talks with the militants. Russia and Iran have held meetings with the Taliban in recent months, while China has also made overtures. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan are all participating in the US efforts.

Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/419876-us-tells-taliban-it-must-talk-to-afghan-government

 

[Abu Zarrar]

why Isn't Afghan Taliban on US List of Foreign Terror Groups?

 

[TMA]

why Isn't Afghan Taliban on US List of Foreign Terror Groups?

Where do ou get this list from?
Also they are probably on the terror list of the Kabul regime?

 

[Abu Zarrar]

Where do ou get this list from?
Also they are probably on the terror list of the Kabul regime?

https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm

 

[TMA]

https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm

But what about the Kabul government’s list of terror organisations?

 

[Abu Zarrar]

But what about the Kabul government’s list of terror organisations?

may be they are on that list

 

[Khanate]

why Isn't Afghan Taliban on US List of Foreign Terror Groups?

The stated position of State department and other stakeholders involved in U.S. foreign policy is, "U.S. doesn't talk to terrorist". Declaring Taliban a terrorist group would corner the U.S. government and leave it with fewer options to resolve the Afghanistan conundrum. Moreover, Taliban wield a lot of influence on the ground. They aren't sitting in Qatar, which also hosts a U.S. base, based on the number AK-47s they have collected.

But what about the Kabul government’s list of terror organisations?

may be they are on that list

That list would be very long and will include people in the Afghan government starting with the Vice President of Afghanistan who is a rapist and, according to Ghani, a "known killer". Yet, Ghani had no problem shaking hands with him last week.

 

[Abu Zarrar]

Afghan Taliban kill at least 12 in car bomb attack on military base
KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban killed at least 12 security force members in a car bomb attack on a military base in the central province of Maidan Wardak on Monday, officials said.

Two gunmen who tried to enter the compound were shot dead, Mohebullah Sharifzai, spokesman for the Maidan Wardak provincial governor, said.

“A (second) car, packed with explosives, was also discovered and defused,” he added.

Mohammad Salem Asgharkhil, the province’s health director, said 28 wounded members of the security forces had been taken to hospital.


“Looking at the damage, the number of casualties may rise and our health team is still searching for victims,” he told Reuters.


The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said had killed or wounded dozens.

The insurgents have increased attacks in recent months in their effort to overthrow the Western-backed government and restore their version of hardline Islamic law, even as talks with the United States to try to end the 17-year war have gathered pace.

Strategically located along the route connecting Kabul to the south, Maidan Wardak is a staging ground for suicide bombings in the capital by insurgents who control nearby mountain villages.

Source:https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/15qznmnqa8nhj/?&th=1686e3c8c455ec5d&v=c

 

[Abu Zarrar]

China recognises Afghan Taliban as political force
China's ambassador to Pakistan says his country recognises the group as a political force because they are part of the Afghan peace process.
China recognises the Taliban as a “political force” amid its participation in the Afghan peace process, said its envoy to Pakistan, according to local media.

Yao Jing, China’s ambassador in Islamabad, also praised Pakistan’s role in facilitating the Afghan peace process -- including its efforts to facilitate talks between the Taliban and US -- and helping end the long conflict in Afghanistan.

"China will pick Taliban as a political force because they are now part of the Afghan political process and they have some political concerns," the Dawn quoted Yao telling a gathering in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

China has had contacts with the Afghan government and Taliban, and its special envoy visited the Taliban political office in Doha, he added.

"China supports all efforts taken for peace in Afghanistan because the Afghan people deserve peace and stability," said Yao.

On Jauary 14, on a four-nation trip, top US peace negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad visited Beijing and met with Chinese officials.

"Fruitful talks with senior Chinese officials who committed to the success of Afghan peace. We discussed regional support for an inclusive peace process for all Afghans & ensuring Afghanistan never again serves as a platform for terrorism," Khalilzad tweeted after his meetings with Chinese officials

Last December, Pakistan confirmed it had arranged rare direct talks between Washington and the Taliban, paving the way for a negotiated settlement of the conflict that has entered its 18th year.

In 2015, Pakistan facilitated the landmark first round of direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Islamabad, but the process broke down after Taliban announced the death of their longtime leader Mullah Omer, triggering a bitter power struggle within the militia.

Chances for resumption of the stalled process dimmed further following the death of Omer’s successor, Mullah Mansur, in a US drone strike in 2016 on Pakistan, near the Afghan border.

Since then, several attempts to resume the stalled peace process have been made by a four-nation group made up of Pakistan, Afghanistan, the US, and China.

Source:https://www.trtworld.com/asia/china-recognises-afghan-taliban-as-political-force-23543

 

[Abu Zarrar]

Baradar’s appointment hints major shift in Taliban’s ‘peace talks’ strategy
In what came as a major reshuffle in Taliban’s Qatar political office, Mullah Baradar, freed last year by Pakistan on the Afghan government’s request, has been appointed as the deputy of the Leader in Political Affairs and the chief of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate. In a detailed statement announcing this change, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the step was taken to ‘strengthen and properly handle the ongoing negotiations process with the United States’.

The move is seen as a significant shift in Taliban’s peace talks approach as Baradar is considered, by many, as a senior leader with “credibility”.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1088557621240573958

https://twitter.com/x/status/1088506749953306624

Find Taliban’s full statement on the appointment below:

In accordance with the decree issued by the Leader of Islamic Emirate, the esteemed Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been appointed as the deputy of the Leader in Political Affairs and the chief of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate.

This step has been taken to strengthen and properly handle the ongoing negotiations process with the United States.

With the appointment of the esteemed Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the negotiation team of the Islamic Emirate will continue their talks with the United States and will not bring about any change.

In concert with the appointment of Mullah Baradar Akhund, multiple changes have also taken place in the military and civilian departments of the Islamic Emirate so that the ongoing Jihadi process and political efforts can develop positively.

Spokesman of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – Zabihullah Mujahid

Source:https://crssblog.com/baradars-appointment-hints-major-shift-in-talibans-peace-talks-strategy/

 

[Abu Zarrar]

NDS chief for Maiwand district killed in Taliban ambush in PD4 of Kandahar city, he was a close friend of Gen. Raziq.

 

[Abu Zarrar]

Taliban released 35 ANA soldiers in Herat province.
Report says, on the order of military commission 35 war prisoners freed due to sympathy, kindliness and goodwilling.

 

[Abu Zarrar]

6 policemen killed in clashes in N. Afghanistan

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least six police officers were killed and three others wounded after Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints along a main road in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh overnight, a local official said Tuesday.

"Taliban militants armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades (RPG) stormed two security checkpoints along a main road in Bodana Qala village, Sholgara district, Monday night. The clashes left six Afghan Local Police (ALP) killed and three others injured," district chief Sarrajuddin Abid told Xinhua.

The injured police officers were shifted to a hospital after additional security forces secured the area, the district chief added.

One police officer went missing after the clashes and the targeted checkpoints' facilities were set on fire by the militants.

The government established the ALP, or community police, in 2010 to protect villages and districts around the country where army and police have limited presence.

Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where Taliban have been recruiting among the youth.

The militants have also intensified attacks on security forces and staged coordinated large-scale attacks in Afghan cities and districts.

Source:http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/29/c_137783903.htm