Afghan Peace Talks Begin In Qatar As America Moves To End Its Longest War

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The opening ceremony for long-awaited historic, face-to-face peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban militant group is set to hold on Saturday in the Qatari capital, Doha.

After nearly two decades of fighting, senior Taliban leaders and a high-ranking government delegation are set to meet in the city’s Sheraton Hotel.

The ceremony is expected to be attended by the chairperson of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, as well as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.Afghan Taliban

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Pompeo has described the talks as “Afghanistan’s best chance at ending 40 years of war and bloodshed.”

Each side is represented by a 21-member team. The government team is headed by former Afghan intelligence chief Masoom Stanekzai; the Taliban delegation by their chief justice, Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai.

The government’s first priority is achieving a lasting ceasefire.

The militants have not made their full demands clear.

During the past 19 years, the militants refused to talk to the government, calling it a “puppet” of the West.

But a deal between the U.S. and Taliban in February paved the way for the intra-Afghan talks.

The U.S.-Taliban agreement led to a large-scale prisoner swap between the two sides, and specified that all international troops would gradually leave Afghanistan.

Read also: Nigerian Govt. Gives Reasons For Forex Ban On Food

In return, the Taliban agreed to enter into peace talks with the government and renounce terrorism.

DPA/NAN

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

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