The Taliban says negotiations with the United States continued Wednesday in Qatar for a second day amid hopes of making further progress toward ending the conflict in Afghanistan.
A spokesman for the insurgent group noted that "technical groups" focused for a day-and-a-half until Wednesday afternoon on the withdrawal of U.S.-led international forces when they took up the issue of the Taliban guarantees to prevent Afghan soil from being used for terrorist attacks against America and its allies.
"Talks about preventing Afghanistan from harming others are currently under discussion," said Zabihullah Mujahid.
The two sides announced after their last meeting in Doha a month ago they had agreed "in principle" on a "framework" of discussions on the two key issues.
U.S. representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, is leading the American team, while Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai is heading an "authoritative" team of Taliban negotiators.
'Paving the ground'
The ongoing meeting is expected to last for several days and is the fifth round of talks since late last summer when Washington directly engaged the Taliban in a dialogue that U.S. officials say is primarily aimed at paving the ground for a sustainable intra-Afghan peace process.
Khalilzad repeatedly clarified, however, that any final U.S. troop withdrawal plan would be linked to a Taliban cease-fire and the rebel group's direct talks with the government in Kabul. The insurgent group refuses to engage in talks with the Afghan government, though, insisting any discussions on internal Afghan matters must be decided by Afghans themselves.
At an informal session Monday hosted by Qatari officials prior to the formal negotiations, Taliban delegates were introduced to American interlocutors by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the newly appointed Taliban's deputy chief of political affairs and head of its Qatar-based office.
Baradar arrived in Doha a day before the two sides reconvened for the meeting, and his presence is seen as key to sustaining a productive dialogue with the U.S., according to insurgent officials.
The Taliban leader had been in detention in Pakistan since 2010 when a joint operation by local and U.S. intelligence operatives captured him in the city of Karachi while he was traveling through the neighboring country. He was released last October at the request of Khalilzad, meeting a key insurgent demand.
Baradar is known as a co-founder of the Taliban, and he is considered a highly respected figure in the rebel group. He is credited for organizing the insurgent campaign after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan 17 years ago ousted the Taliban from power. Baradar continues to maintain influence over Taliban battlefield commanders, particularly in southern Afghan provinces, observers say.
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