MONITORING (SW) – The top U.S. peace negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad on Friday announced a pause in peace talks with the Taliban.
In a series of tweets, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation stressed that the 'Taliban must show they are willing & able to respond to Afghan desire for peace'. ''When I met the Talibs today, I expressed outrage about yesterday’s attack on Bagram, which recklessly killed two and wounded dozens of civilians'', he tweeted.
Khalilzad said the U.S. negotiating team is taking a brief pause for the Taliban to consult their leadership on this essential topic.
However the Taliban's Qatar office spokesman, Suhail Shaheen said in his tweets that the pause was agreed in a meeting between the two sides in 'good and positive atmosphere'.
This comes amid renewed talks between the U.S. and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump met his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani during a surprise Thanksgiving visit to American troops in Afghanistan where he claimed his administration had resumed peace talks with the Taliban and that the insurgent group would be willing to observe a ceasefire.
At least 5 people got killed and over 70 other, mostly civilians, were injured in Afghanistan on Wednesday following an early morning suicide attack and assault on Bagram Airbase.
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