Taliban strike another city as US says 'at threshold' of withdrawal deal
The Taliban launched an assault on a second Afghan city in two days, as Donald Trump's envoy said the US and the militants were at the threshold of a preliminary deal to withdraw US troops.
Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Sunday after envoys for each side wrapped up their ninth round of talks in Qatar trying to secure a US pull-out that would pave the way for Taliban talks with the Afghan government.
The results of the latest Doha round remained closely guarded and it was not clear if Mr Khalilzad was briefing Kabul ahead of a deal being announced, or whether more talks were needed. Mr Khalilzad has said the talks are close to a deal for several weeks.
“We are on the verge of ending the invasion and reaching a peaceful solution for Afghanistan," said the Taliban spokesman in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen.
Mr Khalilzad arrived in the Afghan capital as fighting continued in Pul-e Khumri, about 140 miles to the north. Local witnesses said several members of the security forces were dead.
We’ve concluded this round of talks with the Taliban in #Doha. I’ll be traveling to #Kabul later today for consultations.
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) August 31, 2019
The Taliban attack came a day after a similar assault on Kunduz, one of Afghanistan's most important northern cities, that killed at least 25 people and wounded 85. The interior ministry on Sunday said the Taliban had been cleared from Kunduz.
America has been in talks with the Taliban for more than a year, trying to broker a four-part deal that would see a US troop withdrawal, in return for assurances terrorists such as that al-Qaeda would not be able to launch attacks from Afghan soil.
The deal would also see the Taliban sit down with the Afghan government to forge a wider peace settlement. The fourth part, a ceasefire, seemed to have been abandoned in the face of Taliban refusal, for a more vague “reduction in violence”.
Mr Khalilzad said: “We are at the threshold of an agreement that will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honourable and sustainable peace and a unified, sovereign Afghanistan that does not threaten the United States, its allies, or any other country.”
