Timeline of peace talks in Afghanistan
• The Taliban , a group of Islamic militants , took control of Afghanistan ’ s capital and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan . For the next few years , they fought to gain control of the entire country and were well received by many communities because they promised to stamp out corruption and increase security .
1996
1998
• Just a few years after taking control of the capital city , the Taliban were in control of almost 90 % of Afghanistan . They imposed their own hardline interpretation of Islamic law , which included , but wasn ’ t limited to , requiring women to wear burqas and travel with a male relative when venturing outside the home ; banning music , television , and movies ; and forbidding girls over the age of 10 from going to school . Punishments for breaking the laws were extreme , including public execution and mutilation in some cases .
• September 11 , 2001 attacks on the United States . Following the U . S . -led invasion of Afghanistan and the establishment of an interim
Afghan government , Taliban members attempted to negotiate an amnesty , which included a position in the interim Afghan government for members of the group . The United States rejected the Taliban ’ s proposal .
• Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered the Taliban the chance to begin unconditional peace talks . The Taliban refused to directly negotiate with the Afghan government , however , calling it a puppet of the United States . However , the Taliban did agree to enter into negotiations with the U . S . envoy , Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad .
2001
2012
2018
• Peace talks commenced between the United States , the Afghan government , and a team of Taliban negotiators . Two impasses prevented the talks from triggering a larger peace process . First , the Taliban wanted to negotiate only with the United States , while the United States and others wanted the Taliban to negotiate with their fellow Afghans . Second , the United States refused to discuss its troop presence in Afghanistan with the Taliban , while the Taliban ’ s primary demand was a complete U . S . military withdrawal from Afghanistan .
2020
• February 29 — After several rounds of negotiations , the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement outlining the withdrawal of U . S . troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban ’ s disengagement with Al-Qaeda . The agreement also included the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners being held by the Afghan government and the release of 1,000 Afghan prisoners held by the Taliban .
August — The Afghan government convened a Loya Jirga ( assembly ) with the participation of 3,200 representatives from across the country to decide the fate of the 400 remaining Taliban prisoners yet to be released by the Afghan government . Among them were more than 150 prisoners who were put on death row and 44 individuals who were identified as “ persons of concern ” by the United States . At the end of the assembly , it was agreed that most prisoners would be released , with just six offenders of extreme concern being held under temporary house arrest while their futures were decided . September 12 — The Taliban and representatives of the Afghan government held direct talks in Qatar . The talks laid the foundation for future discussions and , hopefully , a peace agreement . The Afghan government ’ s negotiation team included four women .
26 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE