Washington has dispatched a special envoy for Afghanistan to press for peace talks between the government and Taliban fighters, with the diplomat scheduled to visit Kabul on a trip with stops in five nations, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Tuesday he was ordering the military to move to ‘offensive mode’, away from a defensive stance it had taken as part of efforts to reduce violence in the war-ravaged nation as Washington tries to broker peace talks.
"Regardless neighboring with Iran and strategic partnership with the United States, we hope that dispute between Tehran and Washington will be resolved diplomatically," Spokesman for the Office of the National Security Council Javid Faisal told ILNA.
Taliban spokesman Zabihollah Mojahed said to ILNA correspondent that rift in the Taliban over peace talks with U.S is not true.
A suicide bomber killed 63 people and wounded 182 in an attack on a packed wedding reception in the Afghan capital on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, as violence shows no sign of easing despite hopes for a deal on a U.S. troop withdrawal.
After United States withdraws from Afghanistan, we negotiate with the Afghan government, Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman told ILNA news agency.
The Taliban have rejected Kabul’s offer of talks next month in Saudi Arabia where the militants, fighting to restore strict Islamic law in Afghanistan, will meet U.S. officials to further peace efforts, a Taliban leader said on Sunday.
The Syrian army said it would suspend combat operations in the southern city of Deraa for 48 hours from Saturday, as mediators announced two separate attempts to convene new peace talks next month.
The Syrian government signalled on Monday that it was ready to agree to prisoner swaps with rebel groups, a confidence-building measure that might help both sides prepare to attend peace talks.
United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura arrived in Tehran on Sunday to hold talks with senior Iranian officials.
