Pakistan is genuine about backing the nascent Afghan peace process and shares the Kabul government’s goal of transforming the Taliban insurgency into a political movement, a senior Afghan government official told Reuters. “They have told us that they share the vision contained in our roadmap which is basically to transform the Taliban from a military entity into a political entity to enable them to take part in the Afghan political process and peacefully seek power like any other political entity in Afghanistan, he said. “This is the vision that they share.” The official, who is closely involved in reconciliation efforts, said recent face-to-face talks between senior Taliban members and Afghan officials in France were an “enormously helpful” step in building a wider environment for peace. Until now, the Taliban and Afghan officials only made indirect contacts. The official’s remarks signalled unprecedented optimism from Afghanistan that Pakistan – long accused of backing Afghan insurgent groups – was now willing to put its weight behind reconciliation efforts, which are still in early stages and are vulnerable to factionalism. “We are very optimistic. We believe that they are genuine in this discussion with us,” said the senior government official. The senior official cautioned, however, that in order to sustain that optimism, Pakistan would need to take further concrete steps after releasing some mid-level Afghan Taliban members from detention, who may be useful in promoting peace.
Afghan policewoman kills coalition contractor in Kabul
An Afghan woman wearing a police uniform shot dead on Monday a civilian contractor working for Western forces in the police chief’s compound in Kabul, NATO said. The incident is likely to raise troubling questions about the direction of an unpopular war. It appeared to be the first time that a woman member of Afghanistan’s security forces carried out such an attack. There were conflicting reports about the victim. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said a U.S. police adviser was killed by an Afghan policewoman. Then ISAF said in a statement only that it was a “contracted civilian employee” who was killed. Mohammad Zahir, head of the police criminal investigation department, described the incident as an “insider attack” in which Afghan forces turn their weapons on Western troops they are supposed to be working with. He initially said the victim was a U.S. soldier. After more than 10 years of war, militants are capable of striking Western targets in the heart of the capital, and foreign forces worry that Afghan police and military forces they are supposed to work with can suddenly turn on them. The policewoman approached her victim as he was walking in the heavily guarded police chief’s compound in a bustling area of Kabul. She then drew a pistol and shot him once, a senior police official told Reuters.