Taliban Rejects Afghan Negotiation Team, Ghani Won’t Make Changes

Afghan Army kills 13 Taliban in offensive

On Friday, the Ghani government finally announced that they had appointed a negotiating team for talks with the Taliban. The team was criticized domestically for not being very inclusive, since they are all Ghani allies, and his is just one of two self-proclaimed governments.

The Taliban is now rejecting the team, saying they can’t recognize any committee that doesn’t represent all sides. The Ghani government says it is as inclusive as possible and that they won’t make any changes whatsoever.

The Afghan military further responded by attacking a Taliban hideout in Ghor Province, killing at least 13 Taliban fighters. Officials say the attack is meant to disrupt the Taliban’s ability to hit checkpoints in the area.

The negotiating team was meant to handle intra-Afghan talks, but those are on hold at any rate until the Afghan government comes through with prisoner releases. The Taliban are expecting the first releases by the end of the month.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.