Two main issues being discussed in the high-level talks between the Taliban and the United States in Qatar are US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and assurances that the country not be used for further attacks in the future, a Taliban spokesman told Al Jazeera.
At the site of the second day of the talks in Doha, Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker asked Suhail Shaheen what guarantees the Taliban could offer to end their military operations once an agreement is reached.
“When the occupation has ended, there is full withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and there is an Afghan-inclusive Islamic government in the country, I think there is no need for military operation and war,” Shaheen told Al Jazeera.
“So, there will be sustainable peace in the country, and all the military people and our people, they will be included in a national army,” he added.
One of the founders of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is attending the talks for the first time as the new head of the Taliban team. He is the highest-level representative to take part in negotiations with a US delegation led by Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy for peace.
Khalilzad said “This could be a significant moment.” in a tweet before talks began on Monday. This meeting is the latest in a series of talks between Khalilzad and Taliban representatives and interested parties in a number of countries in the region since the US envoy was named in September.
In six days of meetings in Doha last month, Khalilzad said “significant progress” was made on two vital issues, a potential troop withdrawal, as well the guarantees the Taliban will provide not to allow fighter groups to flourish in the country.
The Taliban have repeatedly refused to negotiate with the Afghan government, calling it a “puppet” of the US. Source: Al-Jazeera
Friday, April 17, 2026
