Foreign missions in Kabul urge Taliban to ‘lay down weapons’ as Afghan peace talks fail

After another inconclusive peace talk in Doha, more than a dozen diplomatic missions in Afghanistan urged the Taliban on July 19 to halt their military offensives across the war-torn country. Fifteen missions, the EU delegation and the NATO representative in Kabul made the call in a joint statement, saying they are at odds with claims that the militant group wants a negotiated settlement to end the conflict. After two days of talks in the Qatari capital, the sides said they agreed on the need to reach a "just solution" and to meet again "next week”. 

"This Eid al-Adha, the Taliban should lay down their weapons for good and show the world their commitment to the peace process," the joint statement read. 

According to a press release, the statement was supported by Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union delegation, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Britain and the United States and NATO's senior civilian representative. It is worth noting that over recent Eid holidays, the insurgent group has called short ceasefires, saying they wanted to let Afghans spend them in peace. However, this time there has been no such announcement for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, which begins in Afghanistan on July 20.

Intra-Afghan peace negotiations in Doha have been stalled for months while the Taliban carried out a sweeping offensive that saw the insurgents capture nearly half of the country’s more than 420 districts, threaten several provincial capitals, and take control of a number of border posts as US-led international forces exit the country. The insurgent group on Monday informed that they had captured the Dehrawood district in Uruzgan province, southwest of Kabul, after heavy clashes with government forces the previous night. The group has even captured large swathes of territory, including border areas with Iran, China and Pakistan.

Two sides agree to prevent civilian casualties 

Meanwhile, in Doha, the Afghan government delegation was led by Abdullah Abdullah, the second-highest Afghan official and the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation. The Afghan government and Taliban issued a joint statement on the situation and agreed to prevent civilian casualties. Both sides have agreed to protect the country’s civilian infrastructure, prevent civilian casualties, and cooperate with humanitarian assistance.

In a series of tweets, Abdullah Abdullah said, “During the talks we reiterated the republic's commitment to a just & durable peace, an end to violence & resolving the current crisis through a negotiated political settlement. We thank all our partners, especially the State of Qatar for hosting & supporting the peace talks”. 

(Image: AP)