Pompeo Forced to Talk Directly to Taliban Leader

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also spoke directly to Taliban Deputy Chief of Staff Mullah Abdulgani Baradar via video conference.

The talks took place at a time when no date has been set for talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The Taliban has demanded the release of all detainees held in Afghan prisons as a precondition for possible talks.

The agreement signed between the Taliban and the United States in Qatar on February 29 states that the Kabul government will release 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban 1,000 Afghan soldiers before the start of Afghan-Afghan peace talks.

So far, the Afghan government has released 4,600 Taliban prisoners. But the Afghan government has refused to release the remaining 400 detainees, saying they could not be released because of allegations of heinous crimes against them. This issue is now a challenge in starting Afghan-Afghan talks.

The Loya Jirga, a council of Afghan tribal elders, is scheduled to meet next Friday to discuss the 400 Taliban prisoners.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 to destroy the Taliban. But after nearly two decades of failing to defeat the Taliban, a top US official, such as the Secretary of State himself, is now being forced to negotiate openly with the Taliban in order to leave Afghanistan honorably.

Source: Pars Today