KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban on Tuesday accused the United States of hampering peace negotiations in response to the top American diplomat’s comments that a reduction in violence was needed before a deal to end years of war could be struck. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said during a visit to Uzbekistan that “demonstrable evidence” of a reduction in Taliban violence was necessary for a peace agreement with the Islamist group. Hostilities have surged in recent weeks, suggesting a deadlock in the peace talks between US and Taliban negotiators in Qatar’s capital, Doha. Trump was reported last year to be planning to withdraw around half of the 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, adding pressure to secure a peace agreement with the Taliban to prevent the country from collapsing. The Taliban have made increasing gains as moves towards a possible peace deal have continued, with expanding control over large parts of the war-torn country.

Source: Pakistan Today February 04, 2020 12:33 UTC