Space Travel News  
THE STANS
Latest round of US-Taliban talks finishes
by Staff Writers
Kabul (AFP) Aug 12, 2019

Taliban and US negotiators have wrapped up their latest round of talks for a deal that would see America shrink its troop presence in Afghanistan, both sides said Monday.

The foes have been negotiating in Doha over the past year for a pact that would see the Pentagon begin to withdraw its 14,000 troops from Afghanistan.

Speculation has reached fever pitch in Kabul in recent days that an announcement about a deal may be imminent, but tweets from the Taliban and Zalmay Khalilzad -- the US special envoy leading the talks -- suggest work remains to be done.

"We've concluded this round of talks that started Aug 3 between the US and the Taliban. Over the last few days, the two sides focused on technical details. They were productive. I am on my way back to DC to consult on next steps," Khalilzad wrote.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the talks had stretched past midnight.

"Work was tedious & effective. Both sides agreed to consult their respective leaderships for next steps," he wrote on Twitter.

On Sunday, Khalilzad tweeted: "I hope this is the last Eid where Afghanistan is at war," referring to the holiday currently being observed across the Muslim world.

Washington is keen to end its 18-year involvement in Afghanistan, where it has spent more than $1 trillion, and President Donald Trump has said he wants troops out.

In return, the Taliban would commit to various security guarantees, including that the Islamist hardliners who long harboured Al-Qaeda would not allow Afghanistan to become a jihadist safe haven.

A US-Taliban agreement would not in itself bring Afghanistan's war to an end, as the insurgents would still need to make a deal with the Kabul government.

Many Afghans had been hoping for a ceasefire to be announced over Eid. This has not happened, but recent days have been relatively calm.

On Monday, Afghanistan's intelligence service announced 35 Taliban prisoners would be released "as a gesture of goodwill".

"The release of these prisoners is a clear sign of the strong will of the government for peace and end to war," the agency said in a statement.

The Taliban and Afghan security forces periodically release enemy prisoners.


Related Links
News From Across The Stans


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


THE STANS
China tells Kyrgyzstan to punish mine attackers
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (AFP) Aug 6, 2019
China's embassy in Kyrgyzstan Tuesday called on the Central Asian country to punish villagers it said attacked a Chinese-owned mine, leaving more than 20 workers injured. The rare diplomatic rebuke from Beijing followed a skirmish between mine employees and villagers living close to the Solton Sary gold deposit which is licensed to China's Zhong Ji Mining. The embassy said it had informed Kyrgyzstan of its "serious concern" over the incident. China "firmly asks the government... to take ef ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

THE STANS
THE STANS
MEDLI2 installation on Mars 2020 aeroshell begins

World first as kits designed to extract metals from the Moon and Mars blast off for space station tests

Mars 2020 rover does biceps curls

Europe prepares for Mars courier

THE STANS
Moon 2069: lunar tourism and deep space launches a century on from Apollo?

China's micro lunar orbiter crashes into Moon under control

Chandrayaan-2 orbit successfully raised for 4th time

Study shows that the Moon is older than previously believed

THE STANS
Jupiter's auroras powered by alternating current

Kuiper Belt Binary Orientations Support Streaming Instability Hypothesis

Study Shows How Icy Outer Solar System Satellites May Have Formed

Astronomers See "Warm" Glow of Uranus's Rings

THE STANS
Hordes of Earth's toughest creatures may now be living on Moon

Pre-life building blocks spontaneously align in evolutionary experiment

Shining starlight on the search for life

Distant "heavy metal" gas planet is shaped like a football

THE STANS
SpaceX launches Falcon 9 carrying Israel's AMOS-17 satellite

Orbex and Innovative Space Logistics sign European Space Launch Agreement

Pentagon working on 9 separate hypersonic missile projects to take on Russia, China

Little SLS launches in low speed wind tunnel

THE STANS
China launches first private rocket capable of carrying satellites

Chinese scientists say goodbye to Tiangong-2

China's space lab Tiangong 2 destroyed in controlled fall to earth

From Moon to Mars, Chinese space engineers rise to new challenges

THE STANS
Asteroid's surprise close approach illustrates need for more eyes on the sky

Aquariids peak on Monday starts month of meteor showers

What gives meteorites their shape

MASCOT Confirms What Scientists Have Long Suspected









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.