After several days of talks in Qatar, the US and the Taliban agreed to a possible "framework" that could serve as the base for a peace deal in Afghanistan, the US's top negotiator in the talks said on Monday.

"We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement," US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told the New York Times.

The US envoy said that the framework could include a full withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan if the Taliban guarantees that Afghan territory will not be used by terrorist groups.

In order for any troop pullout to go ahead, however, the Taliban must agree to a nationwide ceasefire and start direct negotiations with the government

of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani — something the insurgent group has staunchly opposed.

In a separate statement, Khalilzad added that "there is a lot more work to be done" before a peace deal is agreed, but said that the sides made "significant progress."

Read more: Opinion — Western intervention in Afghanistan is a failure

Afghan government

His remarks followed six days of talks with the Taliban in Qatar, where he urged the group to have direct talks with the Afghan government.

In a message to Afghans on Monday, President Ghani sought to assure them that their rights will not be compromised in any peace deal with the Taliban.

Despite severe winter weather, the Taliban have been carrying out frequent attacks against Afghan forces and currently hold sway over almost half of the country.

Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that he was encouraged by progress in the talks, but that he hadn't yet been directed to prepare for a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The lack of a timeline for a troop withdrawal could stall further talks.

NATO combat troops left Afghanistan in 2014, but thousands remain in training and counter-terrorism roles — including German troops. Trump has said he wants to pull out half of the 14,000 US troops that are still in the country supporting Afghan forces, and end America's longest war.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan Fragile security Repeated attacks in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019 have killed and wounded hundreds of innocent Afghans, and shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in the conflict-stricken country. The incidents have plunged war-weary Afghan citizens into a state of despair and highlighted the limitations faced by the government in Kabul in ensuring public security.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan A long series of attacks The violent incidents have made Afghanistan once again a staple of international headlines. Outfits like the Taliban and the "Islamic State" (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Afghan government is under heavy pressure to restore security and take back territory controlled by a number of insurgent groups, including the Taliban and IS.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan Spring offensive In 2018, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive, dismissing an offer of peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani. The militants, fighting to restore their version of strict Islamic law to Afghanistan, said their campaign was a response to a more aggressive US military strategy adopted in 2017, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan Trump's Afghanistan policy US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2017, vowing to deploy more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain US presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it. In 2019, he reversed course and promised a troop pullout.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan Afghan peace process Despite President Ghani's offer in February 2018 for peace talks "without preconditions," the Taliban had until 2019 shown no interest, dismissing the peace overtures as a "conspiracy."

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan Pakistani support Pakistan has been under pressure from Kabul and Washington to stop offering safe havens to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies and insists that its influence over the insurgents has been exaggerated. Kabul and Islamabad regularly trade accusations of harboring the other country's militants and the harsh language has underscored the strains between them.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan Role of the warlords Apart from the Taliban, Afghan warlords exercise massive influence in the country. Last year, Hizb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to Kabul after a 20-year exile to play an active role in Afghan politics. In September 2016, the Afghan government signed a deal with Hekmatyar in the hope that other warlords and militant groups would seek better ties with Kabul.

Endless battle for power in Afghanistan An inefficient government In the midst of an endless battle for power, President Ghani's approval ratings continue to plummet. Rampant corruption in the Afghan government and a long tug-of-war within the US-brokered national unity government has had a negative impact on the government's efforts to eradicate terrorism. Author: Shamil Shams



rs/rt (AP, AFP, Reuters)

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.