Afghanistan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before their meeting at the Zhongnanhai Leadership Compound in Beijing, China January 10, 2019. Andy Wong/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Reuters: U.S. freezes out top Afghan official in peace talks feud: sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In fallout from a feud over U.S.-Taliban peace talks, a senior U.S. diplomat has told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that U.S. officials will no longer deal with his national security adviser, four knowledgable sources said on Monday.
The decision to end U.S. contacts with Hamdullah Mohib will almost certainly raise tensions between the allies over Kabul’s exclusion from negotiations that have mainly focused on a U.S. troop pullout and how the Taliban would stop militant groups from using Afghanistan as a springboard for attacks.
Mohib had launched a blistering public attack last Thursday on the chief U.S. negotiator, Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad.
The following day, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale told Ghani by phone that Mohib would no longer be received in Washington and U.S. civilian and military officials would not do business with him, the sources said.
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WNU Editor: This move by the U.S. government is very drastic. The U.S. clearly wants no criticisms from Kabul on their one-on-one talks with the Taliban.
1 comment:
A question that needs to be asked: Why is Washington even negotiating anything with the Taliban? The Taliban has never kept their word. We know they will probably seek to inflict casualties on the US during any US withdrawal. Why is the US negotiating with this band of heroin smugglers?
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