Pompeo meets with Taliban and Afghan government negotiators amid signs of progress in their talks as Trump rushes to withdraw his forces… and “Islamic State” adopts missile attacks on Kabul

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with negotiators from the Taliban and the Afghan government Saturday in Qatar, amid signs of progress in their talks, in a move that comes as President Donald Trump rushes to withdraw troops despite the continuing violence.

Hours before the Doha meetings, which Pompeo arrived from Abu Dhabi, at least eight people were killed in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which was rocked by a series of powerful explosions, according to Agence France-Presse correspondents, mainly caused by missiles that landed near the Green Zone, which includes embassies and international companies’ headquarters.

“The terrorists fired 23 missiles at the city of Kabul,” said Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Erian.

He added, “Based on preliminary information, eight people were killed and 31 others were wounded,” explaining that “rockets landed on residential areas”.

Amid the continuing violence, the US State Department said late Friday that Pompeo would meet separately in Doha, where the Afghan government and the Taliban have been conducting peace negotiations since September.

The ministry stated that Pompeo will also meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs during his visit to Doha, the diplomatic headquarters of the Taliban in its negotiations with Kabul and before that with the United States.

The US Secretary of State is currently on a tour that includes seven countries in Europe and the Middle East, including the UAE, to be concluded in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, while Trump, who refuses to acknowledge his defeat by Joe Biden in the presidential elections, seeks to accelerate his priorities before the end of his term.

In Abu Dhabi, Pompeo met the Crown Prince of the emirate, Sheikh Muhamad bin Zayed al Nahyan, and discussed with him the situation in the region and the need to achieve peace in neighboring Yemen, while Washington is studying the possibility of designating the Houthi rebels as a terrorist organization.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of about two thousand additional American soldiers from Afghanistan by January 15, five days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

This accelerated the timetable that was established according to the agreement signed last February between Washington and the Taliban, which provides for a complete withdrawal of forces by mid-2021.

Thus, the number of American forces in this country will be 2,500.

Trump promised to put an end to “endless US wars” abroad, including the longest-running intervention in Afghanistan in US history, and began after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

But Washington’s European allies, as well as some Republicans, have expressed concern about the withdrawal, which many see as premature.

Biden also wants to end the war in Afghanistan, in a rare case on which he appears to agree with Trump.

In a sign that this issue will remain under discussion despite the withdrawal, many voices are also calling on Democrat Badin to keep the American negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad in his post.

And 2,400 American soldiers have fallen in the conflict in Afghanistan since 2001, which cost the United States more than a billion dollars.

The Taliban have been holding talks with the Afghan government since September 12 in Doha for the first time, under the auspices of Pompeo, who attended the start of the meetings. 

But these talks are facing great difficulties due to differences.

There were no indications of progress in the negotiations.

However, several sources told AFP on Friday that the two sides apparently managed to resolve one of the main points of disagreement related to the rules of the negotiations.

Despite these negotiations, violence escalated across the country with the increase in daily Taliban attacks against Afghan security forces.

Residents in Kabul criticized the withdrawal of part of the US forces by January 15, fearing that this would encourage the Taliban to launch a new wave of fighting. 

Afghan civilians have long been the main victims of the conflict.

The authorities in Kabul also fear that the Taliban will harden their stances in negotiations, especially on key issues such as women’s rights.

On the other hand, ISIS claimed responsibility Saturday for missile attacks on densely populated areas in Kabul, according to what it said in a statement on its channels via the Telegram platform.

The statement emphasized that 28 Katyusha rockets targeted the “caliphate soldiers (the Green Zone) in Kabul, which includes the Afghan presidency building, the embassies of the Crusader states and the headquarters of the Afghan forces”.