Afghan government officials in direct talk with Taliban : News

An Afghan government delegation has arrived in Pakistan to hold direct talks with representatives of the Taliban militant group. Pakistan has always been accused by Afghan officials of nurturing the Taliban and using them as proxies to destabilize Afghanistan and maintain Pakistan’s geopolitical interests. Taliban and government representatives have met informally in the past, through a recent series of encounters hosted by Qatar and Norway.

Since coming to power past year Ghani has courted the Pakistanis, expending substantial domestic political capital in the process, to try to get Islamabad to persuade the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Taliban insurgents launched a countrywide offensive in late April, stepping up attacks on government and foreign targets in what is expected to be the bloodiest fighting season in a decade. At least one targeted coalition forces, and the Taliban said their militants carried it out. It would mark the first time that such a senior-level delegation was meeting face to face with the Taliban.

Tuesday’s attack comes a week after a Taliban suicide auto bomber hit a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military convoy on the main road to Kabul airport, killing at least two Afghan civilians and wounding around 17.

However, the group has said that foreign troops must depart Afghan soil before full-fledged negotiations can commence.

The commander was identified by Afghan intelligence as Gul Zaman, who had been in Achin district where Islamic State sympathisers have taken territory from rival Taliban insurgents.

The coalition has remained in Afghanistan in a training and support role.

The High Peace Council (HPC) is the body tasked with opening negotiations with the militants.

An explosion ripped through the southeastern part of the Afghan capital on Tuesday, with unknown casualties, official sources and witnesses said.