United States' Khalilzad to meet Taliban in Qatar, visit India, Pakistan

WASHINGTON, May 7: The U.S. particular envoy on Afghanistan is on a mission to press Taliban negotiators in Doha officers in India Pakistan to assist lowered violence, rushing up intra-Afghan peace talks cooperating on the coronavirus pemic, the State Department stated on Wednesday.

U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad’s journey comes amid considerations that surging Taliban assaults the coronavirus pemic might deal probably deadly blows to his stalled efforts to finish many years of strife in Afghanistan.

At every cease, Khalilzad “will urge assist for a right away discount in violence, accelerated timeline for the beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations, cooperation amongst all sides in addressing the COVID-19 pemic in Afghanistan,” the State Department stated.

The assertion didn’t disclose the precise schedule of Khalilzad’s journey that started on Tuesday.

It is the second journey he has made since April 12 within the midst of the pemic to salvage a Feb. 29 accord that he the Taliban’s second in comm, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, signed for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from America’s longest warfare.

A profitable initiative might assist U.S. President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election in November.

Khalilzad, the State Department stated, would press Taliban officers “for full implementation” of the Feb. 29 settlement.

In New Delhi, a key supporter of the Afghan authorities, Khalilzad will focus on India’s function in sustaining peace, he’ll maintain talks on the peace course of in Islamabad, the State Department stated.

Pakistan has offered sanctuary different assist to the Taliban for many years as a part of a method to blunt the affect in Kabul of India, Islamabad’s long-time foe, in line with U.S. officers. Pakistan denies backing the militants.

The U.S.-Taliban deal known as for the Taliban to launch as much as 1,000 authorities prisoners Kabul to free as much as 5,000 Taliban prisoners earlier than peace talks that had been to start on March 10.

But a dispute over the tempo scale of the releases between the militants the federal government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, which was not a celebration to the deal, helped delay the talks.

The negotiations even have been stalled by a feud between Ghani his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who each claimed victory in a disputed September election, by escalating Taliban assaults.

The Taliban have mounted greater than 4,500 assaults since signing the Feb. 29 deal, in line with knowledge seen by Reuters. The provinces hardest hit are ones with probably the most COVID-19 infections. The militants blame Kabul the United States for the surge in violence.