After the report by CNN, a source from the Islamic Emirate confirmed that a delegation of the Islamic Emirate met with US officials in Doha and held detailed talks on Saturday.
The meeting between officials from the US and Islamic Emirate was the first in three months, following the US announcement that the leader of the al-Qaeda network, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed in a drone strike in Kabul.
According to the source, the Islamic Emirate delegation was comprised of representatives from the intelligence department, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. The US delegation included the US special envoy for Afghanistan, representatives from the CIA as well as the State Dept and Department of Defense, the source said. Finding solutions for the dispute and allaying suspicions were reportedly the purpose of the talks.
“These negotiations, which spread through the media and of which everyone is now aware, might have achieved some agreements that called for the Islamic Emirate to take action with two or three issues. First to fulfill the Doha agreement, second to observe human rights and to reopen girls’ schools, and third to form an inclusive government,” said Sayed Ishaq Gailani, leader of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan.
Prior to these talks, the US Chargé d’Affaires Karen Decker said that she sees no chance that Washington would militarily engage in Afghanistan. “In the interest of opening a dialogue and giving you my thoughts, I would say there is no chance that the US would engage militarily in Afghanistan and that no one should be counting on that outcome,” Decker said.
Despite the resumption of talks and new progress, both sides still give slightly different versions of the talks. Kabul says the talks focused on the issue of US drones in Afghan airspace and drone strikes in the country, violations of the Doha agreement and its fulfillment, restrictions on Afghan banks, and the transfer of Afghan assets from the Swiss bank.
But Washington said its delegation discussed matters relevant to countering terrorism, women’s access to work and education as well as the formation of an inclusive government.
“The Americans may reach agreements on some issues with the (Afghan) government in Doha; for example issues related to intelligence. But on some other issues, such as the formation of an inclusive government, and changes in Afghanistan, they (US) may not get an immediate result,” said Torek Farhadi, a political analyst.
The mistrust between the two sides has increased after the US drone strike hit a residence in the Shirpor area of Kabul city and the US reported the attack killed Ayman-al-Zawahiri, leader of the al-Qaeda network.—Tolonews
