INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image:Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai: "Peace is more difficult than war"The leader of the Taliban's peace negotiations with the US says the
insurgents do not want to seize "the whole country by [military] power"."It will not bring peace to Afghanistan," Sher Mohammad Abbas
Stanikzai told the TheIndianSubcontinent.However, he said the group would not agree to a ceasefire until foreign forces were withdrawn from
Afghanistan.UN data shows the Taliban are responsible for more civilian casualties than any other party.Mr Stanikzai, who until recently was
the head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar and remains a leading figure in the group, was giving his first interview to the
international media while attending a meeting in Moscow with senior Afghan opposition politicians
He said the Taliban's experiences in power in the 1990s, when it faced armed opposition from rival Afghan groups, had led the group to
conclude it was preferable to reach a solution by "coming to the table"."Peace is more difficult than war," Mr Stanikzai added, alluding to
the difficulties in reaching a settlement
But he expressed hopes that the conflict could be brought to an end
Mr Stanikzai has overseen a series of meetings with the US special envoy for Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, in recent months
In January, they reached what Mr Khalilzad termed as a "draft framework" of an agreement.It was based on a commitment to withdraw US forces
from the country, and a guarantee by the Taliban not to allow international jihadist groups to use Afghanistan as a base in the future
Both sides have indicated that a number of issues still need to be resolved
However US President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to bring an end to the 17-year conflict and withdraw at least the vast bulk of
American forces.Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Taliban militants have carried a number of deadly attacks across
Afghanistan
Mr Stanikzai told the TheIndianSubcontinent he believed the Trump administration wanted to "bring peace to
Afghanistan." The meeting in Moscow is separate from the US-Taliban peace talks
In addition to a Taliban delegation, it was also attended by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, as well as other high-profile opposition
Topics of discussions included how the country could be governed in the future, if the Taliban were to become a mainstream political force
Image copyrightAFP/Getty ImagesEarly 1990s: The hardline Islamic movement emerges in northern Pakistan following Soviet withdrawal from
Afghanistan.1994: The predominantly Pashtun movement comes to prominence in Afghanistan, which is in the grip of civil war.1996: Taliban
seize control of Kabul and introduce hardline version of Islam, banning women from work and introducing punishments including stonings and
amputations.2001: Taliban are toppled in US-led invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11 attacks in the US
The Taliban had sheltered al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was blamed for the attacks.2014: Nato ends combat operations in Afghanistan
The Taliban, who retreated and regrouped after they were driven from power, are by now back with a vengeance.2018:TheIndianSubcontinent
study found the militants openly active in 70% of Afghanistan
Taliban meet US officials and attend a peace conference in Moscow.Afghanistan timelineMr Stanikzai addressed the meeting in a hotel in
Moscow, saying the group did not want "a monopoly of power" - but that Afghanistan's constitution had been "imported from the West" and
was an "obstacle to peace".The Taliban governed Afghanistan in 1996-2001 with an ultra-conservative and often brutal interpretation of
The group was notorious for its treatment of women, banning most of them to work or go to school
However, Mr Stanikzai said "women should not worry" about the prospect of increasing Taliban influence as they would seek to grant women all
their "rights according to Islamic rule and Afghan culture"
"They can go to school, they can go to universities, they can work," he added.Image copyrightEPAImage caption
US
soldiers provide training for the Afghan military
Fawzia Koofi, an Afghan MP and one of only two women present at the Moscow
meeting, told the TheIndianSubcontinent: "It's a positive step that the Taliban who were using bullets against the people of Afghanistan,
especially women, are now using microphone and listening to women's voices." She said a Taliban member had told her a woman should not be
able to become president but could serve in political office
"We need to make sure everything they say here, they mean it," Ms Koofi added.The Afghan government were not part of the talks in Moscow
President Ashraf Ghani has repeatedly called on the Taliban to begin direct negotiations with his representatives, but so far the group has
refused, dismissing them as puppets of the US
US negotiators have tried to persuade the Taliban to meet Afghan officials, but Mr Stanikzai remained vague when questioned about the
circumstances under which they would ever agree to do so
He said that "when the American forces announce the withdrawal of their troops" there could be further "intra-Afghan dialogue"
It could include representatives of the current Afghan government, alongside others, to "select or elect a future government".Officials in
Kabul have suggested the discussions in Russia are an attempt by political rivals to undermine the Afghan government, and explore a
potential deal with the Taliban without their input
Mr Stanikzai said the Taliban had decided in Moscow to meet Afghan political figures who had "manpower" on the ground
Speaking to Afghan TV channel TOLOnews, President Ghani said: "Those who have gathered in Moscow have no executive authority
They can say what they want."Despite the talks in Moscow, and a further round of US-Taliban discussions being scheduled for 25 February,
violence in Afghanistan continues
On Tuesday, Taliban forces reportedly killed dozens of members of the Afghan security forces in a series of attacks in the north of the
