Columnist

Finally the last hurdles for starting already delayed intra-Afghan negotiations are being removed in a bid to end nearly two decades of war in Afghanistan.

When the Afghan government announced the capture of Abdullah Orakzai aka Aslam Farooqi along with 19 of his fighters on April 4, it was one of the biggest losses for the Khorasan chapter of Daesh, considering the fact that Orakzai was heading the group for the last year.

The unannounced visit by US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo to Afghanistan earlier this week came at a critical time as the Taliban-US peace agreement signed in Doha on Feb. 29 has been facing implementation challenges.

As the Taliban and US prepare to sign a landmark peace agreement in Qatar, one is tempted to look back at the mostly unsuccessful past efforts at peacemaking in Afghanistan.

A major hurdle in finalizing the expected peace deal between the Taliban and the US seems to have been overcome thanks to the former’s willingness to take steps to reduce violence in Afghanistan.

A major hurdle in finalizing the expected peace deal in Afghanistan between the Taliban and the US seems to have been overcome following the former’s willingness to take steps to reduce violence in Afghanistan. 

The year 2019 began on a promising note for Afghanistan as Taliban-US peace talks initiated in 2018 raised expectations for a political settlement of the seemingly intractable Afghan conflict.