U.S., Taliban talks end after rival Afghans agree on ‘roadmap for peace’

  1. Recently,the Taliban and Afghan delegates including government officials has agreed on a roadmap for peace that could end the 18-year war in Afghanistan.
  2. The roadmap hopes to reach an agreement that would see US troops pull out in return for a commitment that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for terrorism.
  3. This non-binding agreement comes as the US and Taliban continue to negotiate on a US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
  4. Taliban and the US are currently focusing on four key issues that are going to decide any future agreement and the issues are (a) counterterrorism (b)troop withdrawal (c)intra-Afghan dialogue and (d)ceasefire.
  5. Further,Indian Government have maintained that peace process in Afghanistan should be Afghan led and Afghan owned and India will not engage with the Taliban directly and would rather pursue bilateral ties through investing in development projects.
  6. The Taliban has ruled large parts of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before being ousted in a US-led invasion.After years of insurgency, it now controls half of the country mostly in rural areas.