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DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with negotiators from the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, calling on them to accelerate their peace talks as Washington accelerates its military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Pompeo “called for a significant reduction in violence and encouraged accelerated discussions on a political roadmap and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,” according to the US State Department.
The top US diplomat met separately with the Afghan government and Taliban negotiating teams at a luxury hotel in the Qatari capital, and his meeting with radical Islamist insurgents lasted more than an hour.
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His visit came in the wake of a rocket attack that hit densely populated areas of Kabul, killing at least eight people in the latest outbreak of violence in the Afghan capital. The Taliban denied responsibility and the Islamic State group claimed the deadly attack.
Members of the Afghanistan peace negotiation team attend a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (invisible) in the Qatari capital Doha on November 21, 2020 (Patrick Semansky / POOL / AFP) .
“I would be very interested to hear your opinion on how we can increase the likelihood of a successful outcome,” Pompeo said when meeting with the Afghan government side and noted the shared interest in such a scenario.
He also met with the ruler of Qatar, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and with Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, on his stopover in Doha, which is the base of Taliban diplomacy.
But no progress was announced in talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government prior to Pompeo’s departure.
He flew to Abu Dhabi for the next leg of his seven-country tour of Europe and the Middle East, as President Donald Trump propped up long-term priorities.
Members of the Taliban peace negotiating team attend a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (invisible) in the Qatari capital Doha on November 21, 2020 (Patrick Semansky / POOL / AFP ).
Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, told AFP that the government and the Taliban were “very close” to breaking a deadlock in the talks.
“We are close, we are very close. Hopefully we get through this phase and get to the substantive issues, “including security, he said during a visit to Turkey.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said it would soon withdraw some 2,000 troops from Afghanistan, speeding up the schedule set in a February agreement between Washington and the Taliban that calls for a full US withdrawal by mid-2021.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to end “wars forever,” including in Afghanistan, the longest conflict in US history that began with an invasion to dislodge the Taliban after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) meets with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani (right), both masked due to the COVID-coronavirus pandemic 19, in the capital Doha. on November 21, 2020 (Patrick Semansky / POOL / AFP)
President-elect Joe Biden, on a rare point of agreement with Trump, also advocates ending the war in Afghanistan, although analysts believe he will not be as committed to a swift withdrawal.
The Taliban are speaking to the government of Afghanistan for the first time.
The talks began on September 12 in Doha, but almost immediately failed due to disagreements over the agenda, the basic framework of the discussions and religious interpretations.
However, various sources told AFP on Friday that the two sides appear to have solved some of the problems.
Among the sticking points so far, the Taliban and the Afghan government have struggled to agree on a common language on two main issues.
The Taliban, who are hardline Sunnis, insist on adhering to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence, but government negotiators say this could be used to discriminate against the Hazaras, who are predominantly Shiites, and other minorities in Afghanistan.
Another contentious issue is how the agreement between the United States and the Taliban will shape a future Afghan peace agreement and how it will be referenced.
The Doha peace talks opened after the Taliban and Washington signed an agreement in February, in which the United States agreed to withdraw all foreign forces in exchange for security guarantees and a promise from the Taliban to start talks.
Despite the talks, violence has soared across Afghanistan, and the Taliban intensify daily attacks on Afghan security forces.
Trump’s plan to cut troops by January 15, less than a week before his successor Joe Biden is sworn in, has come under fire in Afghanistan.
Saturday’s attack on the Afghan capital saw a barrage of rockets hit various parts of central and northern Kabul, including in and around the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses embassies and international businesses.
The Islamic State group said in a statement that 28 Katyusha rockets had been fired by “soldiers of the caliphate.”
Afghanistan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian had previously blamed the Taliban, saying “terrorists” had fired a total of 23 rockets. However, the Taliban denied their responsibility and said they “do not shoot blindly in public places.”
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