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Afghan Taliban says ‘post-occupation’ discussed with Iran
KABUL, Jan 1, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The Taliban discussed Afghanistan’s “post-
occupation situation” with Iran in their latest meeting, the group said
Tuesday, as Tehran makes a more concerted and open push for peace ahead of a
possible US drawdown.
The remarks come after Iran confirmed Monday that the Taliban had visited
Tehran for a second round of talks in just a few days that are aimed at
ending the 17-year conflict.
The Taliban delegation discussed with Iran “the post-occupation situation,
restoration of peace and security in Afghanistan and the region”, the
militants said in a statement posted on social media and emailed to
journalists.
It signals a growing confidence among the Taliban for US troops to pull out
of Afghanistan, after US officials last month told various media outlets that
President Donald Trump had decided to slash the number of boots on the
ground.
There have been reports in the past of talks between Iran and the Taliban,
but they have typically been denied by Tehran.
Tehran’s peace push will be viewed with concern by hawks in Washington, who
fear that Trump’s planned withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan
will cede regional influence to Iran.
The Taliban also met with the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in
the United Arab Emirates earlier in December as part of a flurry of
diplomatic efforts to end the war.
But the Taliban refused to meet a delegation from Afghanistan. The group
said Saturday its representatives would not meet “with those of the Kabul
administration” at the next meeting expected to be held in Saudi Arabia later
this month.
Iran’s deputy foreign ministry Abbas Araghchi will travel to Afghanistan in
the next two weeks, the foreign ministry said, without giving further
details.
Iran and Afghanistan share a nearly 600-mile (960-kilometre) border, and
have had a complex relationship in recent years.
Tehran has long supported its co-religionists in Afghanistan, the Shia
Hazara minority, who were violently persecuted by the Taliban during its rule
in the 1990s.
Iran worked alongside the United States and Western powers to help drive
out the Taliban after the US-led invasion in 2001.
But there have been allegations, from Western and Afghan sources, that
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have in recent years established ties with the
Taliban aimed at driving out US forces from Afghanistan.
BSS/AFP/RY/16:12 hrs