US and Taliban close to deal to allow peace talks, Trump envoy says

The Taliban attacked a second Afghan city in as many days on Sunday and killed several members of security forces, officials said, even as Washington’s peace envoy said the US and the militant group are “at the threshold of an agreement” to end America’s longest war.

The attack on the capital of Baghlan province came hours after US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said he warned the Taliban during talks in Qatar that “violence like this must stop”.

But he appeared determined to move forward on a deal that plans the withdrawal of some 14,000 remaining US troops in exchange for Taliban guarantees that Afghanistan will not be used as a launchpad for global attacks.

Mr Khalilzad was visiting Kabul on Sunday to brief the Afghan government on a deal that is not yet final. Both he and the Taliban confirmed the latest round of talks had ended.

The attacks are seen as strengthening the negotiating position of the Taliban, who control or hold sway over roughly half of Afghanistan and are at their strongest since their 2001 defeat by a US-led invasion.

Some critics warn that the Taliban are merely waiting out the US and that another US goal in the talks, a ceasefire, likely will not happen as foreign troops leave.

In Baghlan, the spokesman for the provincial police chief, Jawed Basharat, said gun battles continued on the outskirts of its capital, Puli Khumri. The interior ministry said four civilians and two members of the security forces were killed, and 20 civilians and two security forces wounded. It said three Taliban fighters had also been killed.

Provincial council member Mabobullah Ghafari said that he had seen the bodies of at least six members of the security forces and that the situation was worsening by the hour. If reinforcements don’t arrive from the central government the city could fall, he said.

“People are fleeing their houses and properties trying to escape from the city,” Mr Ghafari said, adding that the Taliban had occupied some checkpoints with no resistance from security forces.

“We hear the sound of blasts. The people are so worried,” said the provincial council chief, Safdar Mohsini. “The Taliban are in residential areas fighting with Afghan security forces. We need reinforcements to arrive as soon as possible.”

If the Taliban enter the city, they will be very difficult to repel, Mr Mohsini added. The city of more than 220,000 people is about 140 miles (230 km) north of Kabul.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid asserted in a Twitter post that fighters were inside Puli Khumri and that the governor’s house was under siege.

The assault came a day after the Taliban attacked Kunduz, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, in the province to the north and killed at least 25 people and wounded 85. The interior ministry on Sunday said the Taliban had been cleared from that city but some fighters had fled to Baghlan.

Few details have emerged from this latest round of peace talks. The Taliban spokesman in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said technical issues would be discussed on Sunday. “We are on the verge of ending the invasion and reaching a peaceful solution for Afghanistan,” he said.

The approaching agreement with the Taliban “will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honourable and sustainable peace and a unified, sovereign Afghanistan that does not threaten the United States, its allies, or any other country,” the Afghan-born Mr Khalilzad said on Twitter.

A US official with the negotiation team said Mr Khalilzad would meet with a wide range of Afghans in Kabul, including the government leadership.

“We can tell you that any potential peace deal will not be based on blind trust, but will instead contain clear commitments that are subject to our monitoring and verification,” the official said. “Any potential deal would bring together all sides for negotiation, enable the withdrawal of American forces and ensure the security of the American homeland.”

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorised to discuss the matter with the media.

The official said that “if and when we are able to announce an agreement, the process will pivot to intra-Afghan negotiations where the Taliban will sit with other Afghans and together they will commit to a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire”.

That reference to “other Afghans” instead of the Afghan government is another reminder of the challenges in any intra-Afghan talks ahead. The Taliban have refused to negotiate with the government of Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, calling it a puppet of the United States.

The remaining US troops train and support Afghan forces but also come to their aid with airstrikes and counterterror operations. About 20,000 US and Nato troops are still in the country.