KABUL – Zalmay Khalilzad Met With Taliban Chief. United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, on Wednesday, met with Afghan Taliban Chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar for a ‘candid discussion’ on next steps.
According to details, the US envoy announced this on his Twitter handle. He said he met Baradar and his team on Wednesday night. He said after his meeting he had a ‘constructive phone call’ with US President Donald Trump.
“We all agreed the purpose of the US-Taliban agreement is to pave the path to a comprehensive peace in Afghanistan,” he tweeted.
I met Mullah Berader and his team last night for a candid discussion about next steps, followed by a constructive phone call with President @realDonaldTrump. We all agreed the purpose of the US-Taliban agreement is to pave the path to a comprehensive peace in #Afghanistan.
— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@US4AfghanPeace) March 5, 2020
“Increasing violence is a threat to the peace agreement and must be reduced immediately. We also talked about the exchange of prisoners, he wrote this in another tweet. Meanwhile, Khalilzad called on all Afghans to rise to the occasion and put country first and not to lose this historic opportunity.
We must act on all fronts to clear the road of obstacles that slow our progress toward intra-Afghan negotiations. I once again call on all Afghans to rise to the occasion, put country first and not to lose this historic opportunity.
— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@US4AfghanPeace) March 5, 2020
Since the peace signing deal on Saturday, the militants have increased violence against Afghan forces. On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s interior ministry detailed 30 attacks by the Taliban in 15 provinces over the previous 24 hours. The attacks have left four civilians and 11 Afghan soldiers dead, as well as 17 insurgents, AFP reported.