U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has secretly held “around ten” round of talks with Taliban representatives, the Russian government claimed on Monday, contradicting media reports that there have only been two meetings.
Pakistan released two Afghan Taliban terrorists from jail on Monday amid intensified U.S. efforts to convince the jihadi group to negotiate an end to the war with Afghanistan, which has lasted more than 17 years.
The United States and the Taliban, in a move described as unprecedented, reportedly agreed to participate in the second round of negotiations to end the more than 17-year-old war in Afghanistan on Friday.
Russia invited both the Afghan government and the Taliban to September 4 peace talks in Moscow. Kabul and Washington swiftly refused.
The Taliban wholly or partially controls over half of Afghanistan, claimed the Russian foreign minister this week, echoing other assessments.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered the Taliban political legitimacy and peace talks on Wednesday, but the Taliban indicated it prefers to keep fighting until the government is overthrown, American forces leave the country, and their theocratic rule returns.
The United States, as the “biggest stakeholder” in the ongoing war in Afghanistan, must be involved in the Russia-initiated discussions to negotiate peace between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban, according to Pakistan.
The Taliban has said it will not engage in peace talks with the Afghan government because it is winning in Afghanistan.
Members of the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, considered the most lethal insurgent group targeting U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan, attended the peace talks with Afghan officials held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, according to various news outlets.
