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Mike Pompeo meets Afghan gov’t, Taliban negotiators in Doha
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with negotiators from both the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, the capital of Qatar Saturday.
It comes as the negotiations between the Afghan negotiating team and the Taliban started in September, but the two sides yet to reach a consensus over a framework to move the talks forward.
Peace talks team member Abdul Hafiz Mansoor told Ariana News that US Secretary met with the Afghan delegates to discuss the Afghan peace process.
Mansoor did not provide details about this meeting.
Meanwhile, the Taliban political spokesman Mohammad Naeem stated in a tweet that Mike Pompeo met with the Taliban’s delegation led by the group’s head of political office Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
“During the meeting, the importance of the agreement signed between the two sides and commitment to it were discussed. Likewise, the removal from Blacklist, the liberation of remaining prisoners, and the topics related to Intra-Afghan negotiations were talked about,” Naeem tweeted.
This comes as the US wants to speed up the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The Pentagon said earlier this week it plans to reduce troop levels from about 4,500 to 2,500 by January.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, has announced the release of another American citizen in the country.
Khalilzad said in a post on his X account that, according to information from the Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Faye Dai Hall, an American citizen who has been in custody in Afghanistan, will be released soon.
Earlier, George Glezmann, an American citizen whom the Islamic Emirate had held for over two years, was also released.
US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that Joe Biden administration left about $80 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan, which was a “catastrophic error.”
Vance made the remarks during a visit to a military base in Greenland.
He also said the Biden administration’s “catastrophic error” led to the deaths of 13 US soldiers in an attack during the evacuation at Kabul airport in August 2021.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump also criticized the abandonment of military equipment in Afghanistan and called for its return.
The Islamic Emirate, however, has said that the weapons left by the US in Afghanistan belong to the Afghans and will not be returned.
The Supreme Court announced on Saturday that based on the ruling of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate, 2,463 prisoners have been pardoned and released on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
The court said in a statement that the prison terms of another 3,152 prisoners have been reduced.
Eid in Afghanistan will be celebrated on Sunday or Monday, depending on the moon sighting.
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