The US embassy here in Kabul has said that they are ready to negotiate with the Taliban. Willingness to talk to the Taliban that continue to kill and injure people, destroy roads and schools, and disrupt lives on a daily basis is understandable. This is because violence has surged and international community has come to believe that the war cannot be won militarily and the Taliban remain part of Afghan population.
The statement from US diplomat in Kabul comes after the Taliban announced that the militant group has suspended the negotiation process, saying that the US has not met some of their conditions to enter into the negotiation process.
These conditions include the release of some high-profile Taliban prisoners from the Guantanamo bay as well as the opening of their office in Qatar. Both Afghan government and officials from the U.S. administration have been giving mixed and even contradictory messages over the last one year.
Afghan government appears to be unclear about the peace process and how to move it forward, in particular due to the fact that the Taliban have shown no sign of willingness to join the process peacefully and instead have continued to kill those who have raised the voice of peace or those who have been working for the security and betterment of Afghanistan.
The assassination of professor Rabbani, the head of High Peace Council is a point in case. In the meanwhile, the US administration and officials are not clear about the process. On one hand, they want to have a political settlement to pave the way for their withdrawal from Afghanistan and the other hand they believe that the return of a militant group will be dangerous for their interests in the world as well as threaten global security.
This was the Taliban that provided shelter for Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda that attacked the US and shocked the whole world. Even worse, there is no agreement and consensus between Afghan government and the US as well the wider international community on terms of making peace with the Taliban.
The High Peace Council has often complained that they are not involved in secret talks reported to be held between the Taliban and representatives from the US administration. In the meanwhile, it has asked the US to release the Taliban prisoners to resume the negotiation.
It is high time to become serious about the future of Afghanistan. Afghan people have lost their nerve to continue to suffer from a relentless violence. They are also tired of a peace process that is not producing any result. There has to be a revisiting of the process. In the meanwhile, pressure should be increased on the militants to disrupt their momentum.