The Afghan Taliban announced Tuesday that it would open a “political office” in Qatar, signaling a willingness to talk to the United States for the first time. It is the first time the Taliban has offered talks without the condition of an American withdrawal from the country. They did, however, ask for a release of detainees from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for talks. A previous attempt to negotiate with Taliban representatives went against Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s objections, and resulted in the bombing of peace negotiator and former President Burhannudin Rabbani.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul reiterated that any discussion would have to include Afghanistan’s government, but did not directly respond to the Taliban’s statement. “We support an Afghan-led reconciliation process in which the Taliban renounce violence, break with al-Qaeda and support the Afghan constitution, especially the protections for minorities and women,” embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall said.
