Small Wars Journal

Taliban Wanted a Deal with the U.S., but Negotiators, Leadership at Odds Even Before Camp David Meeting Called Off

Fri, 09/13/2019 - 12:14am

Taliban Wanted a Deal with the U.S., but Negotiators, Leadership at Odds Even Before Camp David Meeting Called Off by Kathy Gannon – Associated Press

Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders agreed they wanted a deal with the United States, but some were in more of a hurry than others.

Taliban negotiators were at odds with their Council of Leaders, or shura, about whether to travel to Camp David even before President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the high-stakes meeting planned for last weekend.

According to Taliban officials familiar with the discussions, the shura opposed the trip to Camp David and chastised the negotiators who were eager to attend.

The Taliban have been holding talks with the U.S. for over a year in the Qatari capital, Doha, where the militant Islamic movement maintains a political office under the banner of The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan…

Read on.