Taliban Supreme Leader "Actively Supports Political Agreement"... Ceasefire Negotiations Expected to Progress

Afghan Government Representative Also "Positive"... Progress in 3-Month Ceasefire Talks
Peace Negotiations Continue to Face Difficulties... Taliban Persistently Demands Iranian-Style Theocracy

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Both the Taliban, an armed group in Afghanistan, and the Afghan government are reported to have positively evaluated the ongoing negotiations. Accordingly, there is a prospect that negotiations on the three-month ceasefire proposed by the Taliban on the condition of prisoner release will progress. However, concerns remain high that if the U.S. military withdrawal ends at the end of this month, the Taliban may overturn the ceasefire negotiations and launch a large-scale assault on the capital Kabul.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 18th (local time), Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, stated in a declaration that he "strongly supports a political agreement to end the war" and "instead of relying on foreigners, we must resolve it ourselves and save the country from crisis." This is analyzed as a statement to support the ceasefire negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which began in Doha, Qatar, from the previous day.

Earlier, the Afghan government delegation and the Taliban delegation held talks in Doha the day before for ceasefire negotiations. According to CNN, the Taliban proposed a plan for a three-month ceasefire in exchange for the Afghan government releasing 7,000 Taliban prisoners to commemorate the major Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha.

Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation and representative of the Afghan government, also suggested progress in the negotiations through his Twitter account, stating that they are "seeking positive and constructive results." Accordingly, foreign media reported that the possibility of a bilateral ceasefire agreement in the short term is increasing.

However, it is known that there are still many obstacles to overcome before a bilateral peace agreement can be concluded. Above all, the Taliban is pressuring the Afghan government to form a new government that implements an Iranian-style theocratic regime in Afghanistan, which is causing the peace negotiations to continue to break down. The U.S. political media outlet Politico reported, "The Taliban demands an Iranian-style theocratic system called the 'Islamic Emirate,' while the Afghan government strongly insists on maintaining the current republican system, resulting in a stalemate. Since more than 95% of the U.S. military withdrawal has been completed, there are concerns that the Taliban may immediately break the ceasefire agreement once the U.S. military fully withdraws."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.