Afghan Government Adopts New Strategy to Reach Reconciliation With Taliban

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The High Peace Council (HPC), the Afghan government body set up for negotiations with the Taliban, has defined a new settlement strategy that rules out participation of the third countries in the peace talks process, local media reported Sunday citing the HPC spokesman.

“We are trying to find ways that could help us engage in direct talks with the Taliban in order to bring them to the negotiating table and to reach comprehensive reconciliation through inter-Afghan dialogue,” the HPC spokesman Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar said as quoted by the TOLOnews broadcaster.

The Afghan Security forces carry out special operations against the Taliban on regular basis. On Sunday only, the government troops killed at least 54 militants in an operation in the southern province of Helmand.

In May, the latest round of official settlement talks between the Taliban and Kabul took place in Islamabad, brokered by Pakistan with the participation of China and the United States. The talks were halted after Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed as a result of a US drone strike in Pakistan. Islamabad condemned the move, arguing the death of Taliban's leader aggravated the peace process.

Afghanistan is experiencing political, social and security instability, in particular, due to the activity of the Taliban. The crisis in the country prompted the emergence of local cells of other extremist organizations such as Daesh, which is banned in many countries, including Russia.