Afghanistan: talks in Doha between Taliban and government despite the fighting

Published on : 07/17/2021 – 13:06

Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to meet in Qatar on Saturday, July 17, for talks as heavy fighting pits them on the ground and foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan.

The two sides have met regularly for months in Qatar’s capital Doha, but sources familiar with the talks have suggested that the talks are on the wane as the Taliban has gained ground on the battlefield.

On Friday, the Afghan forces notably tried, at the cost of violent clashes, to retake the strategic locality of Spin Boldak (south), a lock towards the Pakistani border, which fell into the hands of the insurgents on Wednesday.

The Taliban launched an all-out offensive against Afghan forces in early May, taking advantage of the start of the withdrawal of foreign forces, which is due to be completed by the end of August. They conquered vast rural territories, especially in northern and western Afghanistan, far from their traditional strongholds in the south.

Several senior officials, including Abdullah Abdullah, head of the government council overseeing the peace process and former chief executive, are participating in the Doha negotiations. Former President Hamid Karzai, initially expected in Qatar, did not make the trip.

“The high-level delegation is here to speak to the two sides, guide them and support the negotiating team (of the government) to accelerate the talks and make progress,” Najia Anwari, spokesperson for AFP, told AFP. the Afghan government negotiating team in Doha. She said she hoped the two sides would come to an agreement soon.

The Taliban for their part called on the Afghan government to show “a real and sincere will” to end the crisis. “We are ready for dialogue, talks and negotiations. Our priority is to resolve the problems through dialogue,” Taliban spokesman Mohammed Naim assured Qatari television station Al-Jazeera.

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Growing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad

While fighting rages between government forces and the Taliban, a war of words is also escalating between Kabul and Islamabad, with the Pakistani military accused of providing air support to insurgents in some areas. Pakistan strongly denied.

Afghanistan’s southern border has long been a sensitive point in relations with its neighbor. The Pakistani province of Balochistan has for decades been home to the main Taliban leaders as well as a large contingent of combatants who regularly visit Afghanistan.

Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened its border with southern Afghanistan, closed after the Taliban took control of the strategic Afghan town of Spin Boldak, following heavy fighting with government forces last week.

Mohammed Tayab, a Pakistani paramilitary official, said the decision was made due to “relative calm on the other side,” but the crossing would remain closed to trade.

The Taliban have also tightened their grip on the north of the country, with clashes continuing on Saturday on the border with Turkmenistan.

Several countries repatriate their nationals

In this context, the French government evacuated from Kabul a hundred of its nationals and Afghans working for the embassy, ​​due to the deterioration of the security situation, according to a French diplomatic source.

In recent days, other countries, including India, China, Germany and Canada, have repatriated their nationals or asked them to leave the territory.

Foreign troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly twenty years, following the US-led invasion following the 9/11 attacks. But they have taken a back seat in recent months.

The head of the Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, estimated Friday that the mission of the United States in Afghanistan had “failed”. Deprived of crucial American air support, Afghan forces have so far offered little resistance to the Taliban. They essentially only control major axes and large cities, many of which are surrounded.

Observers believe that the speed and scale of the Taliban offensive is intended to strengthen their position in the ongoing negotiations with the government.

With AFP