A new round of negotiations on Afghanistan has begun on Monday in the Qatari capital city.
A delegation of US diplomats and top Taliban figures, including deputy
Taliban leader Mullah Baradar, are present for what is sure to be the
highest level of talks yet.
18+ years into the US war in Afghanistan, they’ve gone from the Taliban
denying negotiations were even taking place, to confirming they are.
Progress is now being confirmed by both sides, with a basic framework of
a war-ending deal in place.
That deal, specifics not-withstanding, are that the US would withdraw
all troops from Afghanistan, and the Taliban would ensure that neither
al-Qaeda nor ISIS could operate inside of the country in the future.
Having Mullah Baradar and US negotiator head Zalmay Khalilzad sitting
across the table from one another only underscores how serious the talks
are getting, and this latest round of talks is expected to continue
hammering out specific details.
With so much at stake, Khalilzad and Baradar even had a “working lunch” ahead of the formal talks. Delegates on both sides clearly have high hopes, and are putting a lot into this effort.
They should be demanding the US and all it’s allies withdraw troops. This is just more slight of hand via the musical chairs game of host countries invade and oppress resource rich or strategically significant countries.
What does it mean ? The US just invents who is ISIS or al Qaeda on any given day.