U.S. “in peace talks with Taliban”
The U.S. is engaged in talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said, in the first high-level confirmation of U.S. involvement.
Saturday, 18.06.2011.
13:25
The U.S. is engaged in talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said, in the first high-level confirmation of U.S. involvement. Karzai said that "foreign military and especially the U.S. itself" were involved in peace talks with the group. U.S. “in peace talks with Taliban” Hours later, suicide bombers attacked a Kabul police station, killing two. Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said there could be political talks with the Taliban by the end of this year. The U.S. is due to start withdrawing its 97,000 troops from Afghanistan in July. It aims to gradually hand over all security operations to Afghan security forces by 2014. "In the course of this year, there have been peace talks with the Taliban and our own countrymen," Karzai told a Kabul news conference on Saturday. "Peace talks have started with them already and it is going well. Foreign militaries, especially the U.S., are going ahead with these negotiations." He gave no details as to whether the discussions involved Taliban officials with U.S. authorities, or a go-between. Shortly after the announcement, at least two suicide bombers attacked a police station near the financial ministry in the Afghan capital. The Taliban has claimed responsibility. Mohammad Ayub Salangi, Kabul's police chief, told the BBC two police officers had been killed in the attack, which was ongoing. ''A group of suicide attackers got inside police district one," he said. "We have surrounded the area.'' An interior ministry spokesman said there were four attackers, one of whom blew himself up, two of whom were killed by police, while a fourth was still fighting. Finance ministry employees said the ministry was under lockdown. "We can hear sporadic gunshots," one employee told the BBC. "Guards at the front of the ministry have also fired at attackers who wanted to get inside the ministry." The Taliban's official position regarding peace talks is that it will only negotiate once international forces leave Afghanistan, and that it will only talk to the Afghan government. Diplomats have previously spoken of preliminary talks being held by both sides in the continuing conflict. The U.S. has yet to comment on Karzai's statement. Great Britain said it supported "Afghan-led efforts to reconcile and reintegrate members of the insurgency who are prepared to renounce violence, cut links with terrorist groups, and accept the constitution". "In view of the death of Osama Bin Laden it is time for the Taliban/insurgency to positively engage in the political process," said a statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said there was currently no prospect for successful peace talks with Taliban. "The only possibility that could happen is if they as a movement are defeated and there's no prospect of that happening in the near future," he explained. He said the objective of international forces in Afghanistan should be to encourage malleable elements of the Taliban to split away from the hard-core leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar, thereby weakening the group. On Friday, the UN split a sanctions blacklist for the Taliban and al-Qaeda, to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts. Before now, both organizations have been handled by the same UN sanctions committee. The UN Security Council said it was sending a signal to the Taliban that now is the time to join the political process. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said in a statement that the move sent "a clear message to the Taliban that there is a future for those who separate from al-Qaeda, renounce violence and abide by the Afghan constitution". The Taliban ruled Afghanistan before being driven from power by U.S.-backed forces in 2001. It had sheltered al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden.
U.S. “in peace talks with Taliban”
Hours later, suicide bombers attacked a Kabul police station, killing two.Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said there could be political talks with the Taliban by the end of this year.
The U.S. is due to start withdrawing its 97,000 troops from Afghanistan in July.
It aims to gradually hand over all security operations to Afghan security forces by 2014.
"In the course of this year, there have been peace talks with the Taliban and our own countrymen," Karzai told a Kabul news conference on Saturday.
"Peace talks have started with them already and it is going well. Foreign militaries, especially the U.S., are going ahead with these negotiations."
He gave no details as to whether the discussions involved Taliban officials with U.S. authorities, or a go-between.
Shortly after the announcement, at least two suicide bombers attacked a police station near the financial ministry in the Afghan capital. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.
Mohammad Ayub Salangi, Kabul's police chief, told the BBC two police officers had been killed in the attack, which was ongoing.
''A group of suicide attackers got inside police district one," he said. "We have surrounded the area.''
An interior ministry spokesman said there were four attackers, one of whom blew himself up, two of whom were killed by police, while a fourth was still fighting.
Finance ministry employees said the ministry was under lockdown.
"We can hear sporadic gunshots," one employee told the BBC. "Guards at the front of the ministry have also fired at attackers who wanted to get inside the ministry."
The Taliban's official position regarding peace talks is that it will only negotiate once international forces leave Afghanistan, and that it will only talk to the Afghan government.
Diplomats have previously spoken of preliminary talks being held by both sides in the continuing conflict.
The U.S. has yet to comment on Karzai's statement.
Great Britain said it supported "Afghan-led efforts to reconcile and reintegrate members of the insurgency who are prepared to renounce violence, cut links with terrorist groups, and accept the constitution".
"In view of the death of Osama Bin Laden it is time for the Taliban/insurgency to positively engage in the political process," said a statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said there was currently no prospect for successful peace talks with Taliban.
"The only possibility that could happen is if they as a movement are defeated and there's no prospect of that happening in the near future," he explained.
He said the objective of international forces in Afghanistan should be to encourage malleable elements of the Taliban to split away from the hard-core leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar, thereby weakening the group.
On Friday, the UN split a sanctions blacklist for the Taliban and al-Qaeda, to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts.
Before now, both organizations have been handled by the same UN sanctions committee.
The UN Security Council said it was sending a signal to the Taliban that now is the time to join the political process.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said in a statement that the move sent "a clear message to the Taliban that there is a future for those who separate from al-Qaeda, renounce violence and abide by the Afghan constitution".
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan before being driven from power by U.S.-backed forces in 2001.
It had sheltered al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden.
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