KABUL (SW) – The ninth round of talks between the U.S. and Taliban entered 8th day in the Qatari capital, Doha on Thursday.
Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s Qatar office, said in a tweet that the two sides had detailed discussions on Wednesday and would resume talks on Thursday. He added the Taliban’s deputy head Mullah Beradar and top U.S. peace envoy Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad participated in these talks.
Meanwhile, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said Afghan forces now require American military power to keep from being overwhelmed by the Taliban. However, the general said he was optimistic ongoing U.S.-Taliban negotiations would result in a reduction of violence across the country as well as an agreement for the insurgent group to negotiate a peace deal with the central Afghan government.
“I am not using the withdraw word right now,” Dunford said Wednesday during a televised news conference alongside Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the first such briefing held at the Pentagon in a year. “I am using: We’re going to make sure that Afghanistan is not a sanctuary (for terrorism) and we’re going to try to have an effort to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.”
ENDS
