According to Afghan officials, the deadly air raids targeted a Taliban militants’ hideout in the Deh Bala district of the troubled province on Wednesday night.
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The nascent talks have brought no let up in the Taliban’s summer offensive, as the militants launched two suicide attacks in Kabul just hours before Tuesday’s meeting in Murree, a hill station north of Islamabad.
Achin and Mena districts have been a hotbed of alleged Islamic State activity since the group began making inroads into Afghanistan, Haji Alam Shah, a tribal leader in Achin, said Thursday. But previous promising moments in that effort, including the formal opening of a Taliban political office in Qatar in 2013, either fizzled or backfired.
The agenda for peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan has been finalized for next phase of the negotiations, sources said.
Recalling that at last month’s briefing to the United Nations Security Council he had specifically urged direct talks between the parties, Haysom reiterated the Afghan people’s desire to end the pervasive violence affecting every aspect of their lives. Afghan intelligence officials identified Zaman as the Islamic State’s “military operations deputy”. He said that Pakistan was committed to supporting an Afghan led and Afghan owned peace process.
Jalil said the participation of the insurgents had the blessings of Mullah Ajtar Muhamad Mansour, the second-in-command of the Taliban.
There was no statement from the Taliban’s main spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, about the meeting or who attended.
“There may be some differences, but it is their own issue to discuss, and reach an agreement on”, he said.
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“Finalizing the peace and reconciliation process successfully is essential for permanently establishing the integrity and inner peace of Afghanistan”, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
