PESHAWAR (92 News) – The Taliban said on Tuesday that they had canceled planned peace talks with US officials in Qatar this week over an agenda disagreement.
“Both the sides have agreed to not meet in
Qatar,” senior
Taliban members based in Afghanistan.
Talks had been planned for two days starting Wednesday in Qatar, senior Taliban members. The Taliban had rejected requests from regional powers to allow Afghan officials to take part in the discussion.
Earlier today,
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s Special Envoy to Region for Peace Consensus Mohammad Omar Daudzai reached Islamabad on a four-day visit on Tuesday.
He will participate in the delegation level talks at the
Foreign Ministry.
Mohammad Omar Daudzai will also hold a meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
During the meeting, they will discuss the
Afghan reconciliation process in detail.
The Taliban regard the United States as its main adversary in the Afghan war and views direct talks with Washington as a legitimate effort to seek the withdrawal of foreign troops before engaging with the Afghan government.
The war in Afghanistan is America’s longest overseas military intervention. It has cost Washington nearly a trillion dollars and killed tens of thousands of people.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have intensified since Taliban representatives began meeting with Khalilzad, an Afghan-born, US diplomat last year. Officials from the warring sides have met at least three times, but fighting has not subsided.
