Afghan President Ashraf Ghani seeks global consensus on peace talks with Taliban

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been trying to amass global consensus with respect to the Afgan-Taliban peace deal. According to reports, the Aghan leader plans to hold online conferences with several world leaders in order to reach a consensus. Ghani's efforts come amidst rigging reports of violence attributed to the Taliban which could push away any hope of peace.

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President holds video conference with world leaders

As per reports, the Afghan President is in the process of holding online conferences with the representatives of 20 countries. The first of these video conferences took place on Monday, July 6. 

A spokesperson for the Afghan foreign ministry has said that the country's leadership aims to build a consensus at the regional and international levels. The United States, Russia as well as the United Nations, will be taking part in these conferences as per reports.

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Other nations that are likely to be participating in the video conference are Pakistan, India, Iran, China, Egypt, and Qatar. According to the peace deal signed between US, Taliban, and Afghanistan government, the rebel groups were supposed to reduce violence in the country. However, according to the Afghan President's spokesperson, there has been in fact a sudden rise in Taliban lead violence and leading to questions about the armed group's seriousness for peace talks.

US continues to withdraw troops

While the Taliban continue to attack soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan, the United States’ plan to withdraw troops from the war-ravaged nation is going according to schedule. According to reports, over the course of the last few weeks, the Afghan Taliban have continued their attacks, signalling their lack of interest in constructive intra-Afghan dialogues for peace and a possible cease-fire.

Reports have indicated that violence by the Taliban has actually gone up, even crossing historically established norms since the signing of the peace deal. The Taliban have continued to target Afghan security forces as well as police convoys and outposts.

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Read: US Troops Continue To Withdraw From Afghanistan Despite Escalating Violence

(Image Credit AP)