Taliban show ‘willingness’ to reduce Afghan violence

Pakistan’s foreign minister yesterday said the Taliban has shown “a willingness” to reduce violence in wartorn Afghanistan after more than 18 years fighting the US, sparking speculation that a potential breakthrough in talks with the Americans may be near.

Negotiations between the Taliban and the US have repeatedly stalled, with Washington calling on the insurgent group to reduce violence before they can resume.

“Today, positive progress has been made, the Taliban have shown their willingness to reduce the violence, which was a demand... it’s a step towards the peace agreement,” said Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a video statement.

He gave no further details. Zabihullah Mujahid, the official Taliban spokesman, told AFP the Taliban was looking into the comments. The Taliban and the US were on the brink of announcing a withdrawal deal in September last year when President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process “dead”, citing Taliban violence.

Talks were later restarted between the two sides in December in Qatar, but were paused following an attack near the Bagram military base in Afghanistan.

Islamabad has helped facilitate the talks between the militants and Washington in Qatar over the past year, seeking an agreement that would pave the way for a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in return for various security promises from the insurgents.