Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
AT News Report
KABUL: The United Nations has removed the names of senior Taliban officials who are running negotiations with the US over peace in Afghanistan, the militants confirmed.
Taliban Spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said Friday that the names of 14 people who make the negotiating team have been removed from the UN blacklist for nine months.
“We have been promised that their names will be removed from this list for ever,” Mujahid said.
Taliban’s co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar who is took over the group’s political office based in Doha after being released from Pakistan custody last year, is among those granted the UN tip, BBC reported.
The Taliban have so far held five rounds of talks with the United States envoy for Afghan peace, Zalmay Khalilzad, with the two sides saying of progresses.
The sixth round of negotiations between Khalilzad and Taliban is expected to be held this month in Qatar.
The name of Anas Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of Haqqani terrorist network was also in the list. Anas is currently in government custody.
Sources close to Taliban have said that the removal of Taliban names was due to the US request. This move indicates that both the US and Taliban try to marginalize Kabul government in peace talks.
