Despite territorial victories, the Taliban will offer the Afghan government with a peace plan.

According to the Taliban, despite substantial territorial wins in the nation and the impending exit of foreign soldiers from the war-torn country, the organisation would make a formal peace plan to the Afghan government next month.

Hundreds of Afghan security force members have fled to Tajikistan in the face of Taliban advances since the US vacated its main Afghan base, which had served as the focal point of US and NATO power in the country for nearly two decades, as part of a plan to withdraw all foreign troops by September 11.

While the Taliban’s effort to grab control of additional districts gained pace with the handover of Bagram Air Base to the Afghan army, Taliban commanders restarted long-stalled negotiations with Afghan government envoys in Qatar’s capital Doha last week.

On Monday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters that “the peace negotiations and process would be expedited in the next days… and they are anticipated to approach an important stage, naturally it will be about peace plans.”

“It might take a month to get to the point where both parties would present their written peace proposal,” he added, noting that the most recent round of discussions had reached a key juncture.

“We (the Taliban) are really serious about negotiations and dialogue, even if we (the Taliban) have the upper hand on the battlefield.”
The recent uptick in violence, as well as the exodus of thousands of members of Afghanistan’s battered security forces, has cast serious doubt on the US-backed peace talks, which began last year under then-President Donald Trump’s administration.

In response to a request for comment on the Taliban representative’s statements, a US State Department spokesman stated that a negotiated settlement was the only option to end Afghanistan’s 40-year war.

The official added, “We urge the parties to engage in meaningful discussions to develop a political roadmap for Afghanistan’s future that leads to an equitable and sustainable solution.”

“The world will not tolerate a government imposed by force in Afghanistan,” the person continued. “Any Afghan government’s legitimacy and support are contingent on that government’s basic respect for human rights.”