U.S. Likely Agreed to Set Timetable for Troops Withdrawal – HPC

According to HPC, the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, the release of Taliban prisoners, and removal of some Taliban figures from the UN blacklist are the key conditions of the armed group for entering into peace talks with the Afghan government.   
Haji Din Mohammad, the Deputy Head of HPC said that they have met with the Taliban delegation on the sidelines of the recent Moscow summit and that the Taliban has shown the intent to end the ongoing war.
He said the U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has likely reached on an agreement to set a timetable for the troops’ pull off, following his two rounds of meetings with the Taliban delegation in Qatar.
“After making peace, a timetable should be prepared for withdrawal of foreign troops. They might have already agreed on setting up a timetable,” Din Mohammad said.
The official added that the Afghan government is set to free some Taliban prisoners as a move to kick off direct peace talks with the Taliban.
This comes as recently President Ashraf Ghani met with political parties’ leadership to discuss issues around the advisory board that will advise the government and HPC on peace process including the composition of a representative negotiating team.