Taliban, Afghan Gov’t Resume Secret Talks In Qatar – Report

Taliban and Kabul government have resumed secret peace talks in Doha, capital of Qatar.

The representatives of Kabul government and Taliban have restarted secret talks in the Gulf state of Qatar, The Guardian reported, citing senior sources within the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan.

Two meetings held in September and October between the Kabul government and Taliban attended by Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, brother of Mullah Omar the founder of Taliban movement, Afghanistan’s intelligence chief Muhammad Masoom Stanekzai and a senior US diplomat, the Guardian reported.

The first meeting in early September “went positively and was held in a trouble-free atmosphere” and the second meeting took place in early October, despite continued fighting between government and Taliban militants, a Taliban official has said.

The meetings have not been confirmed officially by any party yet.

The first known peace talks brokered by Pakistan was held between the two sides in July 2015 in the Pakistani hill resort of Murree. Since then no meeting was held despite of a roadmap adopted in the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) participated by Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and US which aimed to accelerate peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.