#Kaboul (AFP)
A spate of assassinations has sowed fear and chaos across #Afghanistan as a new round of peace talks between the #Afghan government and the #Taliban begins in #Qatar on #Tuesday.
#Months of deliberation between the two sides have yielded little results so far, but both sides did something of a breakthrough last year when they finally agreed at least what to discuss in the next round.
#Afghan government negotiators will push for a permanent ceasefire and to protect the existing system of governance, in place since the #Taliban was ousted in 2001 by a US-led invasion following the 11 attacks. #September.
“The talks are going to be very complicated and long,” #Ghulam #Farooq #Majroh, a government negotiator, told AFP.
“But we hope to get to a result as soon as possible because people are tired of this bloody war. ”
The #Taliban made no comment.
The first direct talks between the warring parties began in #September after months of delays, but quickly became bogged down by disputes over the basic framework for the discussions and religious interpretations.
A concerted diplomatic effort by #Washington ultimately resulted in consensus.
The negotiations follow a landmark troop withdrawal agreement signed in #February by the #Taliban and #Washington, which saw the #United #States pledge to withdraw all foreign forces from #Afghanistan by #May 2021.
– #Violence is increasing –
#Talks between the #Afghan government and the #Taliban have been marred by an increase in violence from the start, but a new trend is a wave of high-profile targeted assassinations of officials, activists and journalists.
The vice-governor of #Kabul province, five journalists and a prominent election activist have been among those murdered in #Kabul and other cities since #November.
#Officials accuse the #Taliban of chaos, although the jihadist group #Islamic #State has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks.
“The #Taliban are aiming to divide the people and to arouse criticism and frustration against the government security institutions with these assassinations,” #Javid #Faisal, adviser to the #National #Security #Council, told AFP.
“But murders unite people. ”
#Nishank #Motwani, deputy director of the #Afghanistan #Research and #Assessment #Unit think tank, said the #Taliban would not officially claim responsibility for political assassinations, but nevertheless wanted to demonstrate “to its cadres that the #Taliban are who they are and have not changed ”.
The #Taliban carried out more than 18,000 attacks across the country in 2020, #Afghan spy chief #Ahmad #Zia #Siraj told lawmakers this week.
The first nine months of last year saw 2,177 civilians killed and 3,822 injured, according to the #United #Nations #Assistance #Mission in #Afghanistan.
#Ordinary #Afghans yearn for better security but have little hope of immediate improvement despite the talks.
“We have no security in #Kabul. #How long will we need to continue to bury our loved ones? #Said #Jamshid #Mohammad, a resident of #Kabul.
© 2021 AFP
