Taliban not keen on peace parleys: Abdullah

KABUL fighters had no intention of peace negotiations and the suspension of the proposed talks in Qatar meant the militants had their own agenda.

Abdullah Abdullah, also a former foreign minister, said the NCA had predicted the peace process and negotiations in Qatar would fizzle out and the opening of the Taliban’s political bureau in Doha was merely to promote their own goals.

“The question is whether the Taliban want to take part in the peace process. Until now the answer seems no. Therefore, the plan we have for peace negotiations is Taliban should first declare that they want negotiations with the government.”

On Thursday, the Taliban decided to suspend all peace talks with the US until the Americans were ready to address pressing issues and was willing to carry out their promises.

In January, the Taliban announced they had agreed to open the political office in Doha to bridge peace talks with the US — a move backed by Kabul and Washington.

Abdullah stressed the need for clarity on the venue of the talks and the people involved. He claimed the Karzai administration did not represent all Afghans.

People had lost confidence in the government for lack of a clear policy on promoting the peace parleys, he said.

Commenting on civilian killings in Panjwai district of Kandahar province a week back, Abdullah denounced the incident as a “criminal act”.

On last Sunday, a US soldier attacked three houses, killing 16 civilians, including children and women, and injuring five others.

The massacre sparked nationwide anger against NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, with .

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