Elements in Taliban open to peace talks: US Defense Secretary
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on his unannounced visit to Kabul on Tuesday said that elements of the Taliban are open to talks with the Afghan Government. Even though the insurgents have so far given no formal response to Kabul's offer for negotiations, Mattis said that some insurgent leaders have expressed an interest in the discussions. Here are the details.
Mattis's visit comes after Afghan President's peace talks plan
Jim Mattis flew into the war-torn city, Kabul, two weeks after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani unveiled a plan to open peace talks with the Taliban. "It may not be that the whole Taliban comes over in one fell swoop, that would be a bridge too far, but there are elements of the Taliban clearly interested in talking to the Afghan government," Mattis said.
Taliban to negotiate with US not Kabul government
Ghani's peace plan includes eventually recognizing the Taliban as a political party. The insurgent group has said it is prepared to negotiate, but only with the US and not with the Kabul government. The Taliban last week described the Afghan government as "illegitimate" and its peace process efforts as "deceptive", in a statement calling for a boycott of an Islamic scholars' conference in Jakarta.
Ghani offered peace talks after civilian casualties soared
Ghani's offer of peace talks comes as civilian casualties have soared in recent months, with the Taliban increasingly targeting towns and cities in response to Trump's aggressive military policy. The Taliban claimed 472 attacks in January this year alone. Mattis said the jump in attacks on civilians was an indication that a pressured Taliban is unable to conduct broader, ground-taking operations.
