US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has held an informal meeting with Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Qatar’s Doha, where the group’s political office is based, a Pakistani newspaper reported on Monday.
Khalilzad paused renewed talks with the Taliban last month after the militants launched a suicide attack on a US base outside Kabul killing two civilians. Khalilzad said at the time that he had made it clear to the Taliban that the group need to show their willingness for peace.
“When I met the Talibs today, I expressed outrage about yesterday’s attack on Bagram, which recklessly killed two and wounded dozens of civilians.
“Taliban must show they are willing and able to respond to Afghan desire for peace,” he said on his twitter.
There have been reports that the Taliban leadership has agreed to a temporary ceasefire, but the group rejected the reports saying their consultations were about reduction in violence.
“Qatari officials had informed the Taliban that a meeting with Khalilzad will be held when he arrived in Qatar two days ago. Our representatives were ready for the meeting but Khalilzad refused on the plea that he has not received response to his proposal,” an unidentified Taliban official said as quoted by Pakistan’s Daily Times.
A Taliban source in Qatar told the paper there was a possibility that small Taliban-US committees could hold meetings to remove differences about the issue of reduction in violence.
Sami Yousufzai, an Afghan journalist who has been covering US-Taliban peace talks since early stages, says Taliban’s Qatar office representatives failed to convince their leadership for ceasefire, but managed to get their permission for a reduction in violence.
He says ceasefire or reduction in violence is vital for US, because it paves the way for peace and troops’ withdrawal is impossible if war continues.
He also acknowledged the meeting between Khalilzad and Mullah Barader, but said the former did not extract any clear message from the latter.
