Senior Afghan leaders go to Doha for talks with Taliban Reuters

Kabul/Ankara (Reuters)-Senior Afghan leaders will fly to Doha this week for talks with the Taliban because the insurgent group has taken a hard line on the negotiations and even warned Turkey not to plan to keep some troops in Afghanistan to defend the main areas of Kabul . airport.

An unnamed government official told Reuters that the eight-member delegation will include senior Afghan peace official Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai and is expected to discuss A range of topics, including speeding up peace negotiations.

The Taliban did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the talks, which is separate from the deadlocked intra-Afghan negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government negotiators in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

The news of the delegation’s visit came hours after the Taliban warned of the “consequences” of planning to leave some Turkish troops in Afghanistan to operate and guard Kabul Airport after the withdrawal of foreign troops.

It is not clear whether the Taliban and the senior Afghan delegation expected to fly to Doha on Friday will discuss the Kabul airport issue.

Airport plan

After NATO withdrew, Ankara proposed to operate and protect the airport in the capital, and has been negotiating with the United States on financial, political and logistical support.

Turkey has repeatedly reiterated that the airport must remain open to protect its diplomatic missions in Afghanistan. An explosion in Kabul on Tuesday has intensified conflicts across the country.

“If Turkish officials do not reconsider their decision and continue to occupy our country, the Islamic Emirate…will take a stand against them,” the Taliban said in a statement, referring to Turkey’s plan.

The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan with an iron fist from 1996 to 2001, have been fighting for 20 years to overthrow the Western-backed Kabul government.

The foreign troops were bold enough to withdraw from the target in September, and they are renewing their push to encircle the city and gain territory.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Monday night that Turkey and his American counterparts have reached some consensus on airport operations and continue to work hard to reach an agreement.

“The airport needs to remain open and operational. All countries say the same. If the airport does not operate, these countries will have to withdraw their diplomatic missions there,” he said.

A senior Turkish official told Reuters that negotiations involving ministries should be completed when the U.S. forces withdraw. “We still think there will be an agreement on the airport. We want to stand by the Afghan people,” the official said.

Rising violence

As violence intensifies throughout Afghanistan, it is expected that high-level Afghan delegations will discuss the ceasefire with the Taliban.

Police said an explosion occurred in a busy area of ​​Kabul on Tuesday, killing 4 people and injuring 5 others. It is not clear who was behind or the target of the explosion.

Attaullah Atta, a member of the Provincial Assembly, said the conflict in the southern province of Kandahar was still going on and the Taliban were repelled after trying to break into a city prison.

He added that hundreds of families have fled the violence.

Mohammad Daoud Farhad, director of Kandahar Provincial Hospital, said that in the past 24 hours, the hospital has received 8 deaths and more than 30 people, most of which were civilian injuries.

A local government official, who asked not to be named, said that early Tuesday, Afghan security forces had withdrawn from the Alingar area in the eastern Laghman province.

The ceasefire agreement reached with the Taliban in the area fell through in May.