Security forces-out inspect the site of a deadly blast near a demo by hundreds of minority Shiites, in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018.( AP Photo/ Massoud Hossaini)The Taliban is currently trying to keep pressure on the Afghan government ahead of potential peace talks. Its influence in the country has been steadily growing in recent years, with battle in around two-thirds of the country.
And now Russia has stepped in as mediator. Russia said the U.S. has failed to broker peace in Afghanistan, which is why it is now focusing on peace efforts in the country.
A delegation from the Taliban met with representatives from Afghan government in Moscow last Friday.
In this Oct. 26, 2018 photo, Afghan National Security Force-out search passengers and their vehicles at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan.( AP Photo/ Massoud Hossaini) It described the session as a small step toward further talks. The Taliban has come to the negotiating table in the past, with earlier arbitration efforts initiated by Qatar, but until now it has refused to talk directly to the government in Kabul.
An official from U.S. government attended Friday’s meeting in Moscow as an observer. But the U.S. is also constructing diplomatic moves of its own, with the U.S. Envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalizad, in the region visiting Pakistan, Afghanistan and Qatar over the next week.
The U.S. military said it continues to support Afghan government forces in the fight against the Taliban in Ghazni with air subsistence and gathering information. The Taliban has been fighting to regain influence in Afghanistan since it was toppled from power in 2001.
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