Taliban En route to Moscow to Discuss ‘Future of Afghanistan’

A 14-member delegation of the Taliban led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar the Taliban Deputy Leader left Doha for Moscow on Monday, the group’s spokesman said in a statement.

According to the statement, on Tuesday, the Taliban delegation will attend the Moscow meeting where Afghan politicians are also attending to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, 29 May, the Taliban delegation will hold an inter-Afghan dialogue with the Afghan politicians to discuss the future of Afghanistan, the statement said.

The Taliban spokesman further said that the deputy leader of the group will also attend in high-level meetings with Russian officials.

The Taliban delegation includes Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Shir Mohammad Abas Stanekzai, Shahabuddin Delawar, Sayed Rasool, Mawlawi Abdul Salaam Hanafi, Mullah Fazel Akhund, Mawlawi Amir Khan Mutaqi, Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor, Qari Deen Mohammad Hanif, Mohammad Sohail Shaheen, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa, Mawlawi Mohammad Nabi Omari, Mullah Noorullah Noori, and Mawlawi Mohammad Hassan.

Earlier, sources familiar with the Afghan peace process told Ariana News that the Taliban representatives and Afghan politicians led by former President Hamid Karzai will discuss peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan at the sideline of the Moscow event.

A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has said that Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Russia Latif Bahand will only attend at the celebration event of 100 years of relations between Kabul and Moscow on behalf of Afghanistan.

In addition, the Head of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council Mohammad Karim Khalili will also attend the intra-Afghan dialogue in Moscow.

On February this year, Moscow hosted the first round of direct talks between the Taliban and senior Afghan politicians without the presence of the Afghan government.