- NATO envoy confer on peace, support to Afghan forces
- The White House said that the US President Joe Biden is committed to bring the Afghan conflict to a responsible end and consult troop withdrawal with the US partners around the world.
- After European Union (EU), the UK Embassy to Kabul has pushed for the urgent need and establishment of the High Council of National Reconciliation (HCNR), citing it vital to provide directions for the Afghan peace negotiations.
- The Afghan negotiating sides in Doha have agreed in principle on the procedural rules for intra-Afghan talks following nearly three months of controversies holding back progress.
- The project, once producing thousands of tons of crops, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1967 during the leadership of King Mohammad Zahir Shah but ceased operating after the civil war broke out in Afghanistan during the 1990’s.
- Project also known as Band Sardeh Project, the country’s major agricultural scheme in southern Ghazni province, is one of the many other infrastructural facilities affected by conflicts while most parts of the land it covered are grabbed by strongmen and local people.
- The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has extolled the recent agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan on a shared vision for bilateral relations and regional stability.
- Reports suggest progress is made on the procedural issues obstructing the intra-Afghan talks in Doha for more than two months.
Interviews
Civil society’s role in peace mustn’t be ignored
11 December 2020
HERAT: Civil society activists in western Herat province have said their voice for peace should not be ignored and the opportunity created for ending the conflict should be availed of.
Peace talks’ failure not an option, says Fawzia Koofi in an exclusive interview
14 November 2020
I think the plot against me is part of the series of assassinations that have been targeting prominent women, journalists or activists in Afghanistan. Many of these targeted assassinations have gone unnoticed and there have been less thorough investigations regarding who are the perpetrators.
“Even problem-ridden peace is better than deadly war”
13 September 2020
Among one of our recommendations, we preferred that an unbiased third party should be solicited for brokering the negotiations. Now that we don’t see that happening in the crucial talks, we believe the process would take far too long to arrive at a fruitful conclusion.
Warring sides send positive signals as peace is in the air
12 September 2020
KABUL: Parties to the Afghan conflict were all smiles during the inaugural ceremony of the historic intra-Afghan talks on Saturday as the Taliban assured that a ceasefire was part of the agenda and that the peace negotiations were aimed at ceasing violence and resolving outstanding issues through dialogue.
Pakistani curbs worthless unless we see tangible results: Faisal
27 August 2020
“The question here is if the Taliban want peace, why do they rage on further violence and war? Their pretexts of foreigners’ presence in Afghanistan, through which they justified their Jihad, have also been addressed now. What kind of Jihad is it against Afghan schools, teachers, doctors and Ulema now?” the National Security Council (NSC) Spokesman Javid Faisal told Afghan Peace Watch in an exclusive interview.
We are not afraid of peace: Zabihullah Mujahid
17 August 2020
“We are not afraid of peace in Afghanistan and that is why we are strongly determined to bring peace in any way possible, hopefully,” the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told APW in an interview.
War is no longer a solution: Sediq Seddiqi
13 August 2020
“It is clear to all that war is no longer a solution. War and peace continuing at the same time has been and will be a failed experience. The real solution for peace in Afghanistan is a political one that is possible through a ceasefire and peace talks.”