Trump says no to talks with Taliban

• US president, in wake of repeated attacks, says he doesn’t think Taliban are prepared to talk right now
• Says ‘there may be a time, but it’s going to be a long time; Taliban are killing people left and right, innocent people‘

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump has ruled out quick talks with the Afghan Taliban following a wave of bloody large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Trump’s decision comes in the wake of Monday’s attack on a military academy in Kabul in which 11 soldiers were killed – the third major attack in a spate of violence over the past nine days.

Earlier in the day, the suicide attack on an Afghan army battalion killed at least 11 soldiers and wounded 16, according to the defence ministry spokesperson.

“I don’t think we are prepared to talk right now,” Trump said, throwing into question Washington’s strategy of pushing the group towards the negotiating table.

“We don’t want to talk with the Taliban,” Trump said. “They are killing people left and right, innocent people.”

However, he did not rule talks in the long run, saying, “There may be a time but it’s going to be a long time.”

On Monday, Kabul suffered its third major assault in recent days, as the Taliban and Islamic State escalate their offensives.

The militants have stepped up their attacks on beleaguered Afghan troops and police in recent months, sapping morale already hit by desertions and corruption.

Last Saturday, a Taliban suicide attacker driving an explosives-packed ambulance blew it up in a crowded area of the capital, killing at least 103 people — mainly civilians — and wounding 235 in one of the worst bombings in the city in recent years.

And on January 20, Taliban fighters stormed Kabul’s landmark Intercontinental hotel and killed at least 25 people, the majority of them foreigners, in an assault lasting more than 12 hours.

In August, Trump concluded a months-long review of America’s strategy to win the brutal war in Afghanistan, now entering its 17^th year.

The strategy called for an increase in the tempo and intensity of strikes against the Taliban. The aim is to persuade some Taliban factions to enter talks with the government in Kabul.

This month’s spate of bombings and Trump’s comments indicate that end game may further away than the White House would like.

TALIBAN DELEGATION’S VISIT TO PAKISTAN:

According to a meeting of Taliban’s Qatar delegation and Pakistan officials in Islamabad this month, the Taliban had agreed to come to the table to initiate talks with the US; however, they had refused to hold talks with the Afghan government.

The Taliban delegation, comprising five leaders, including Shababuddin Dilawar and Malawi Rasool, had come from Qatar to explore prospects of resuming talks, reported a foreign news agency.

Without disclosing much detail, the statement issued by the group said that “the group favours political settlement to end the ongoing violence in the country”. The news agency, however, reported that the Taliban refused to hold talks with the Afghan government; they were willing to sit on the table with the US though.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had told Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday [Jan 23] that he was not aware of any Taliban delegation visiting Pakistan.

On the other hand, diplomatic sources in Islamabad quoted by VOA said that they were “aware” of the arrival of Taliban officials.

PAK-US RELATIONS AFTER TRUMP’S AFGHAN STRATEGY:

There is a rise in attacks in Afghanistan after the US halted military aid to Pakistan and the relations between the countries turned sour following the Trump’s Afghan strategy announced in August 2017, also affecting the intelligence cooperations.

The Trump admin has constantly accused Pakistan of harbouring terrorists as it urged the country to ‘do more’ in the war on terror. While Pakistan insists that there are no facilitators of terrorist groups on its soil, and reiterates stance on the US’s repetitive demand for the country to ‘do more’.

In addition to that, the Trump administration earlier this month announced the suspension of about $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan over accusations Islamabad is playing a double game in Afghanistan. However, Pakistan vehemently denies these accusations and alleged the US of disrespecting its vast sacrifices in fighting terrorism.

The suspension includes Coalition Support Funds (CSF) for Pakistan, which is provided by the Pentagon to help pay the costs of Pakistan’s counterterror operations.