Taliban Negotiators Go to Moscow After Trump Declares Talks ‘Dead’
Russia has been accused of aiding the group as a safeguard against an Islamic State affiliate with ties to a militant group in Central Asia.
Afghan security personnel inspect at the scene of a suicide car bombing near Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2017. (AP)
MOSCOW—A negotiating team from the Taliban arrived Friday in Russia, a representative said, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump declared dead a deal with the insurgent group in Afghanistan.
Russian state news agency Tass cited the Taliban’s Qatar-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as saying the delegation had held consultations with Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin’s envoy for Afghanistan.
The visit also was confirmed to The Associated Press by a Taliban official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.
It was the Taliban’s first international visit following the collapse of talks with Washington. The team was being led by Mullah Sher Mohammad Stanikzai.
In a weekend tweet, Trump had called off negotiations and canceled a meeting he said he wanted to have with Afghan government leaders and the Taliban at the Camp David presidential retreat.
Moscow has been accused of aiding the Taliban as a safeguard against a burgeoning Islamic State affiliate that has close ties to the Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, a militant group in Central Asia. Russia has stepped up its defenses in Central Asia and has claimed thousands of IS fighters were in northern Afghanistan.
Moscow has twice this year hosted meetings between the Taliban and prominent Afghan personalities.
Shaheen told the Taliban’s official site on Tuesday that the group was still communicating with U.S. negotiators, at least to find out what to do next.
Washington’s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has focused his efforts on regional players almost as much as on the Taliban and Afghan government interlocutors. Earlier this year, the U.S. released a statement signed by the U.S., China and Russia supporting Khalilzad’s peace efforts that called not just for an agreement on U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal and Taliban anti-terrorism guarantees but also a promise for intra-Afghan talks in which Afghans would decide the fate of their country as well as the terms of a cease-fire.
___
Gannon reported from Islamabad, Pakistan.
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Donald Trump has killed a deal with the Taliban based on the death of one U.S. soldier. But more will die if troops remain in the longest war.
As efforts to end an 18-year conflict come to abrupt end, Islamabad is unable to forge its own path as it works to improve international relations.
The observance in Manhattan begins with a moment of silence and bells tolling at 8:46 a.m., the time a hijacked plane slammed into the Trade Center's north tower.
The president calls off a meeting with Taliban leaders at Camp David, blaming a car bomb that killed a U.S. service member and 11 others.
Critics blast Trump for using immigrants as "bargaining chips" to secure funding for his controversial border plan.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.