Gov’t Reps Hold Unofficial Talks with Taliban in Turkey

The Afghan government representatives held the third round of unofficial talks with the Taliban group in Turkey to pave the ground for official talks between the two sides.

Five representatives including four members of Taliban Leadership Board attended in the meeting, while Hamayoun Jarir, son-in-law of Hekmatyar and Abas Basir, President’s adviser represented the Afghan government.

An Afghan government official on condition of anonymity said the third round of unofficial talks with the Taliban group is successfully underway in Turkey.

However, a Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid rejected reports about Afghan-Taliban representative peace talks in Turkey and said, “Reports about delegation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan participating at talks in Turkey are baseless.”

“We have neither sent any delegation nor can any participant represent the Islamic Emirate. Such fake processes are the work of intelligence and hostile acts against the ongoing Jihad,” Mujahed said in the statement.

The first unofficial direct talks between the representatives of Afghan government and the Taliban were held in Pakistan in July 2015.