Afghanistan Emphasizes on ‘Responsible Withdrawal’ of Foreign Troops

Foreign forces must withdraw from Afghanistan responsibly. Doha talks aimed to pave the ground for intra-Afghan dialogue,” said Sebghatullah Ahmadi, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman.
MoFA Spokesman further said that U.S.-Taliban talks are ongoing in coordination with the Afghan government.
The U.S. and Taliban negotiators concluded their sixth round of talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar on Thursday.
Taliban said the talks was “positive and constructive” but the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation said there is a need for “faster progress”.
Meanwhile, sources close to the Taliban said that in the latest round of talks, the two sides have only agreed on the timeline of the foreign forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and there was no agreement on security guarantees.
“The two sides have agreed on troops withdrawal. They will consult with their leaders and then they will sign the draft agreement,” said Mawlawi Qalamuddin, a former Taliban official.
On the other hand, preparations are underway to hold the already delayed intra-Afghan dialogue meeting in Doha after the holy month of Ramadan.
“Now efforts are underway to hold the intra-Afghan dialogue between the sixth and seventh round of talks. They will use the decisions of intra-Afghan dialogue in the seventh round to end the Afghan crisis,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, another former Taliban official.
At the same time, Omid Maysam, a spokesman for the Office of Afghanistan’s Chief Executive said that consultations are ongoing on the formation of a new negotiation team.
“Discussions and consultations regarding the formation of the negotiating team that should be able to represent the whole Afghanistan are ongoing and we hope to introduce the new delegation in the near future,” said Maysam.
This comes as the U.S. has said it will not agree to any withdrawal of troops until the Taliban put in place security guarantees, implement a ceasefire and sign off on other commitments including an “intra-Afghan dialogue” with the Afghan government and other politicians.