P
olitics
Despite Peace Talks Resumption, Afghan Killings Rise U.S. Shifts Afghan Approach with Gov’t, Taliban Ezzatullah Mehrdad In a luxury hotel in Doha, Qatar, negotiators representing the Afghan government and the Taliban resumed peace talks this week after a long pause. During the month-long pause in peace talks, killings surged in Afghanistan even as a new administration in the United States shaped its policies toward the long-running conflict. The Afghan peace talks went to a break in late December last year. The Taliban met the Afghan government negotiators once in early January 2021, then the talks stalled. The Afghan peace talks were scheduled to resume in early January 2021, but Taliban negotiators were absent until late February. Meanwhile, in the United States President Joe Biden took over on January 20. Now as the peace talks resume, some of the Biden administration’s policies are emerging. The administration has signaled a tougher
approach toward the Taliban and friendlier ties with the Afghan government. Mohammad Naim, a Taliban negotiator, said that the talks on the night of February 22 were held in a “good atmosphere.” He added that both sides “emphasized a resumption of peace talks.” Nader Nadery, an Afghan government negotiator, however, said that the Taliban made excuses for not talking. Similarly, the Taliban had previously refused to negotiate while they “demanded the U.S. to release all Taliban prisoners who are imprisoned by the [Afghan] government,” said Nadery. “These were just tactics of the Taliban.” Instead of talking with the Afghan government during the month-long hiatus, the Taliban made regional trips, including trips to Iran and Russia. While the peace talks stalled, the Biden administration began reviewing the U.S.-Taliban agreement, forged
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05/03/21
