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Afghanistan: Taliban announce end of "sterile" talks with Kabul

2020-04-07T05:54:35.882Z



The Taliban announced on the night of Monday to Tuesday that they were suspending the " sterile " discussions that they have been conducting directly with the Afghan government for eight days, the first in 18 years, on a prisoner exchange.

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We sent a technical team to the Kabul Prisoners Commission to identify our detainees. (...) But unfortunately their release has been delayed for one reason or another until now, "tweeted Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesperson. " As a result, our technical team will no longer participate in sterile meetings " from Tuesday, he continued.

The meetings were the first in Kabul since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 by an international coalition led by the United States. The insurgents had always refused to officially recognize the Afghan government, described as Washington's “ puppet ”.

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They related to the exchange of 5000 Taliban prisoners for 1000 members of the Afghan forces, one of the key points of the agreement signed on February 29 in Doha between the United States and the rebels, and not ratified by Kabul. In this text, Washington promised to withdraw foreign forces from Afghanistan within 14 months, provided that the Taliban respect security commitments and start an "inter-Afghan" dialogue.

Morning Bek, a member of the government-appointed negotiating team to hold talks with the insurgents, however, said on Monday that the exchange of prisoners was delayed because the Taliban demand the release of 15 of their " top commanders " rank ”. " We cannot free the murderers of our people, " he said to the press. " We don't want them to go back to the battlefield and capture an entire province ."

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The government was ready to release up to 400 Taliban prisoners who were not dangerous, in a gesture of goodwill and in return for a " considerable " reduction in violence, but the Taliban rejected the offer, he added. On Sunday, the Taliban accused Kabul of " violating " the Doha agreement and of being " irresponsible ". Since it was signed, however, insurgents have carried out hundreds of attacks against the Afghan security forces, killing many soldiers and police.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-04-07

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