Afghans, Taliban set to talk peace

Peace talks between the Taliban and the ­Afghan government begin on Saturday, marking a ­potentially momentous milestone in Afghanistan’s 19-year-old war.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani att the signing of a US-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital of Doha in February. Picture: AFP

Long-delayed peace talks between the Taliban and the ­Afghan government will begin on Saturday in Qatar, marking a ­potentially momentous milestone in Afghanistan’s 19-year-old war.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has flown to Doha for the opening of the US-backed negotiations, as Donald Trump seeks to honour his pledge to halt the country’s “endless wars” overseas with just two months to go until he faces re-election.

The talks had originally been slated to start in March but were repeatedly pushed back amid disputes over a prisoner exchange that included the release of hundreds of battle-hardened Taliban fighters, including Hekmatullah, who murdered three Australian soldiers in a 2012 ambush. Hekmatullah was one of six prisoners transferred to Qatar ahead of talks.

The insurgents, the Afghan government and Qatari officials all confirmed on Thursday (Friday AEST) the talks would begin on Saturday after an opening ceremony in Doha.

Mr Pompeo called the talks a “historic” opportunity to end decades of war and bloodshed, adding: “This opportunity must not be squandered”.

Kate Clark co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network. Source: Twitter

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the talks “are a serious and important step towards establishing sustainable peace in Afghanistan”.

Afghanistan’s former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, who now heads the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), was due to fly to Qatar on Friday.

“HCNR hopes that after a long wait, talks will lead to permanent peace & stability & an end to war,” the council tweeted.

Mr Trump has pushed hard to pull back US forces from Afghanistan, where they rose to more than 12,000 under his watch to pressure the Taliban and Islamic State. The number fell to about 8600 in July after a February accord ­between Washington and the ­Taliban, and is expected to be about 4500 next month.

Mr Trump has repeatedly ­expressed his determination to achieve a full military exit from Afghanistan.

The peace talks “are clearly driven by a US desire to disengage from Afghanistan”, said Kate Clark, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network.

“The main goal for the US is to leave, or to leave without leaving behind a bigger mess.”

Mr Trump believes pushing ahead could boost his standing in November among voters fed up with conflicts that began almost two decades ago, after the September 11, 2001, al-Qa’ida attacks.

The announcement of the start of peace talks was delivered just hours after a final hurdle — the fate of the six Taliban prisoners linked to the killings of French and Australian civilians and troops — ­appeared to have been resolved.

Peace talks were delayed for six months as the Taliban and Kabul conducted a US-brokered prisoner exchange. The Taliban ­released 1000 Afghan troops, while Kabul freed 5000 insurgents. The Taliban declared “victory” after signing the deal with the US and has often stated maximalist goals: it considers itself Afghanistan’s legitimate leader and wants to return to power.

The Afghan government and the Taliban are poles apart when it comes to the kind of Afghanistan they want, and at this stage, there is no certain agenda.

“The Taliban have always been clear about what they want and that is a pure Islamic government, which is incompatible with the current liberal democratic Islamic political order,” said Nishank Motwani, deputy director at the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit in Kabul.

“The Taliban’s leadership, rank and file fundamentally believe that victory is theirs and as victors, they will claim nothing short of power.”

But some observers have suggested the militants would offer to negotiate a power-sharing deal.

“If we can reach an agreement with a foreign enemy, we must be able to resolve intra-Afghan disagreements through talks,” ­Taliban deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani said in February.

AFP