(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: US-Taliban Talks

Topic: US-Taliban Talks

Guest:

Dilip Sinha, (Former Ambassador)
Maj. Gen. Ashwani Siwach (Retd., Foreign Affairs Expert)
Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, (Foreign Editor, Hindustan Times)

Topic Description:

U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has shared details of his recent talks with the Taliban with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other government officials. A January 28 statement quoted Khalilzad as saying he had held talks about a possible cease-fire, but nothing was agreed upon. Khalilzad also confirmed that no agreement had been made on the withdrawal of foreign troops, adding that any such decision would be coordinated with the Afghan government. The statement comes after both the Taliban and Khalilzad said "progress" was made in the latest set of talks in Qatar aimed at ending the 17-year conflict in Afghanistan. The Western-backed government in Kabul has struggled to fend off a resurgent Taliban and other militant groups, nearly two decades after a U.S.-led coalition drove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001. The Taliban has so far refused to hold direct negotiations with the Afghan government officials, whom they dismiss as "puppets."