Abstract
The withdrawal of US and NATO combat troops from Afghanistan is a settled matter and already under way. However, while this fait accompli has been welcomed by many, especially by the governments and publics of troop contributing nations, a growing sense of uneasiness and uncertainty about the future stability and developments in Afghanistan is taking root. The role of the Taliban and their willingness to re-enter the political process lie at the heart of Afghan, regional and international concerns about the security and stability of the region. Under the auspices of the US government, the Doha talks are meant to open a dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Due to the complexity and entanglement of the regional security situation, it is argued that the importance of Pakistan for successful negotiations and solutions has to be realized.
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Notes
- 1.
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, captured in 2009, is the only American soldier the militants held. The Taliban wanted an exchange of five high-profile Taliban prisoners in Guantanamo Bay but till date the talks are not successful. According to some informed sources, Sangin Zadran, a commander of the Haqqani network , killed in a drone attack on 6 September 2013 in Miranshah (North Waziristan), was holding the US soldier. He was set free in May 2014.
- 2.
Mullah Fazal Ahmad belongs to Kakar tribe from Uruzgan and was the Taliban army chief when was captured. Mullah Fazal was in Northern Afghanistan when was captured by the Uzbek war lord Rasheed Dostum, who after taking huge amount from the US handed him over to them. Noorullah Nori, who belongs to Ghazni, was the governor of Balkh province, when captured. Khairullah Khairkhwa was the Interior Minister of the Taliban and belongs to Spin Boldak near Kandahar. Abdul Haq Waseeq was the Deputy Intelligence chief under the Taliban and belongs to Paktia. Mohammad Nabi was also an important Taliban military commander.
- 3.
The High Peace Council was constituted by the Afghan Government for intra-Afghan dialogue. Its present head is Salahuddin Rabbani, who succeeded his father Burhanuddin Rabbani who was assassinated on 20 September 2011.
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Shah, S.W.A. (2015). The Withdrawal of the Foreign Troops from Afghanistan in 2014, Peace Negotiations and the Role of Pakistan. In: Wolf, S., et al. Politics in South Asia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09087-0_9
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