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Taliban remain vague and non-committal about peace talks: Abdullah
Afghanistan’s chief peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah says there is currently no contact between the Afghan Republic’s talks teams and the Taliban’s representative and that the group continues to remain “vague” on the future of negotiations.
In an interview with VOA, Abdullah, who is chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, was asked whether there was any contact between the two teams. His answer was a definitive “No!”
“They leave their positions vague. They say, ‘We want the establishment of an Islamic system,’ but don’t explain what that means. How will the leaders be elected or selected? They want an Islamic Council. Is it elected? If elected, on what basis? They don’t share,” he said.
Abdullah also stated that different groups of Taliban make contact from time to time. “Sometimes they send notes. The messages are mainly the same. Even in the letter (sent to politicians recently), the position is very vague, and you cannot tell whether it is the position of one group or all.”
He also said that with the announcement of the withdrawal of foreign troops, the Taliban’s “position has changed.”
“Their chief negotiator has gone to Pakistan to consult with their leaders, to take directions, to shape up their position. Earlier their position was that they are going to attack the international forces.
“So, as far as the Doha process is concerned, it is still important. So are other opportunities like the conference in Turkey [the Istanbul conference]. It has to be a meaningful event, and both sides have to come to an understanding to make it effective,” he said.
The Taliban has however until now refused to attend the Istanbul Conference, saying they will only participate once all foreign troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan.
“If they don’t come to a meeting, which is supposed to be between both sides, then the conference will not take place. They haven’t said that they are not coming. They haven’t said that they are coming. That has been the problem negotiating with the Taliban all along. They always keep their position vague,” Abdullah said.
On the withdrawal of troops, Abdullah said there is concern that the “Taliban position might get further emboldened” after foreign forces leave.
“Well, as far as their excuses, or the reasons that they were giving, that it is because of the presence of the international forces, it’s ‘jihad’ against foreigners and so on and so forth, so, in three months time, perhaps in less than three months time, there will be no foreign troops on our [Afghanistan’s] soil.”
He also said he “hopes” and “wishes” the Taliban want peace adding “otherwise, the war will continue.”
Abdullah stated that a civil war cannot be ruled out but said: “Let’s not lose hope because it will be a worst-case scenario. So, at this stage, the whole focus should be on how to make it (peace) work.”
Officials confirm that hundreds of people have been killed and injured after floods in Baghlan, Badakhshan, Ghor and Herat provinces of Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in a statement said that a large number of houses have been destroyed and people have suffered huge financial losses.
In the statement, the Ministry of State for Disaster Management, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, and the provincial authorities have been directed to use all their resources to save people, recover the bodies, and treat the injured.
The Islamic Emirate called on the citizens to assist the flood victims.
In Baghlan, Ziauddin, director of Baghlan-i-Markazi district hospital, said that 52 bodies, including 13 women and 13 children, have been taken to the hospital from the floods on Friday night. He added that 73 injured people have also been admitted.
In Takhar, Ahmad Siyar Sajid, the head of natural disasters management of the province, said that eight people died in Ishkemesh, Chal and Namak Ab districts of this province.
Hedayatullah Hamdard, head of the Natural Disaster Department in Baghlan, says at least 50 were killed on Friday afternoon due to floods in several districts of the province.
Hamdard added the figure is not total and that the death toll may increase.
Over the past two days, floods have also caused huge financial losses in Chaharsada and Murghab districts of Ghor province and two people including a child and an old man have disappeared.
Hundreds of acres of agricultural land were destroyed in Chaharsada district and about 50 livestock were also lost.
According to local officials in Ghor, around 50 residential houses in Chaharsada district are under floods.
Iranian officials say work is intensely underway on the implementation of plan to block the country’s eastern border with Afghanistan.
According to Iranian media, the commander of the Ground Forces of Iran spoke on Thursday at a ceremony in the city of Mashhad about the sealing of the country’s borders with Afghanistan.
Kioumars Heydari added: “According to the measures contemplated by the Islamic Republic, we are in the process of sealing the borders.”
He did not specify the exact timing for the completion of the border sealing plan between Iran and Afghanistan, but added: “Our estimate is that the sealing of the eastern border of the country will be completed as soon as possible.”
Afghanistan and Iran share more than 900 kilometers of common border.
Experts, meanwhile, believe that this will cause a change in dealings with Afghan immigrants.
The Islamic Emirate, however, says fencing on the borders of Iran and Afghanistan will proceed in coordination with the Afghan government.
According to experts, Iran is seeking to solve its security concerns and will spend a lot of money in the process of blocking the border but this border wall will be finished for the benefit of both countries, and drug trafficking and movement of terrorist groups will be at least under control.
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