Peace Talks Between Taliban, U.S. Resume

The Taliban last upheld a a three-day ceasefire in June 2018 to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid-Al-Fitr. (Flickr)

After President Donald Trump cancelled peace talks a month ago, negotiations between representatives of the Taliban and the United States have resumed.  

Zalmay Khalilzad, the top U.S. envoy for the Afghan peace process, is reported to have met Taliban representative Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Pakistan earlier this month. Currently, reports from the meeting point toward a prisoner-swap or a temporary truce with the Taliban, as the focus currently lies on confidence-building between the two. 

The prisoner swap would include an exchange of Anas Haqqani, a member of the Haqqani network that fought for the Taliban, for two professors from the U.S. and Australia who were kidnapped by the Taliban from the American University of Afghanistan in 2016. 

The feasibility of a truce relies on cooperation from the Taliban. To mark the Muslim holiday of Eid-Al-Fitr, the Taliban upheld a three-day ceasefire in June 2018, but since then, the Taliban has consistently denied all calls for a ceasefire even with progess made in earlier peace negotiations. One U.S. diplomat told the Telegraph that a ceasefire will continue to be emphasized as a priority in upcoming peace talks. 

The talks come at an unexpected time. Just a month ago, on September 7, Trump announced the cancellation of talks over Twitter. The announcement came after the Taliban claimed responsibility for a bomb attack in Kabul that killed 11 people, including a U.S. soldier, to which Trump responded, “I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?” 

Both U.S. diplomats and Taliban representatives have reportedly remained in Doha and Pakistan, signaling possible ongoing talks. The possibility of successful peace talks paves the way for a future in which Afghanistan’s people can finally move toward a more stable state after decades of turmoil. This would also allow the United States to close the chapter on a war that has sapped resources and troops for nearly 18 years—the country’s longest military conflict. Regional leaders remain optimistic. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has long advocated for and facilitated negotiations in the peace process, has said that “this is the closest we’ve been to a peace deal in Afghanistan.”