Taliban ask for direct talks with US, recognition for office in Qatar

Afghanistan Taliban has asked for removal of senior leaders from a United Nations blacklist, direct dialogue with the US and official recognition of a political office in Qatar, according to a Voice of America News report.

According to Qatar-based Taliban spokesperson, Sohail Shaheen, the US invasion of Afghanistan and persisting presence of troops in the country are the root causes of the war.

The demands put forth by the Afghanistan Taliban are pegged to be the initial steps to peacefully ending the civil war, according to Shaheen.

Shaheen said the presence of the occupant forces is detrimental to Afghanistan’s sovereignty and the political landscape of the country.

For the sake of peace the Taliban must be allowed to 'open an office' in Qatar and names of the senior members must be removed from the global organisation's list, he said.

“That is why there is need for America and its allies to come to the table for direct talks with the Taliban for negotiating an end to the occupation,” Shaheen was quoted as saying.

The controversial Taliban office was opened in Doha in 2013, but it wasn’t officially recognised and let to outrage by the Afghan government, which asked the Qatar government to shut it down. The office was used for holding dialogue between Afghan and foreign groups.