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Wednesday, 27 February 2019
Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar in Qatar for US peace talks
One of the Afghan Taliban's co-founders is in Qatar for peace talks between the insurgents and the United States. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar spent eight years in Pakistani custody until his release last year.
His presence in Doha could help improve the chances of a deal being struck after several rounds of talks, correspondents say.
Last month's US-Taliban talks in Qatar made progress in ending 17 years of conflict in Afghanistan, the US said.
US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said the January talks had been "more productive than they have been in the past" but added there were a number of issues still to work out.
He said a "draft framework" of a peace deal had been agreed, based around commitments by the US to withdraw international forces from Afghanistan, and from the Taliban not to allow jihadist groups to operate in the country.
The Taliban also said progress had been made in the negotiations. However, a spokesman added that talks about "unsolved matters" would continue.
The Taliban have so far refused to hold direct talks with Afghan officials, whom they dismiss as "puppets". They say they will only begin negotiations with the government once a firm date for the withdrawal of US troops has been agreed.
Taliban sources said it was not clear whether he would attend Monday's talks but he would at least oversee them. After last month's talks, Taliban sources were quoted saying the two sides had finalised clauses to be included in a draft agreement.
They reportedly envisaged foreign forces withdrawing following a deal in return for assurances that al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group would not be allowed to use Afghanistan as a base to attack the US.
The Taliban's power and reach have surged since foreign combat troops left Afghanistan in 2014.
Source: BBC
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