Taliban team in Pakistan as calls grow for Afghan cease-fire

A Taliban team, led by co-founder of insurgent movement, arrived Wednesday in Islamab for talks with Pakistani government leers amid growing calls for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Ghani Barar and his delegation were summoned to Islamab from Qatar, where y have been negotiating since September with Afghan government representatives, officials close to talks said. visit comes a day after U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilz me a quick trip to Pakistan’s powerful military in garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Pakistani military has wielded significant influence over Taliban and has links with some of leers — n part of U.S.-backed mujahedeen, dating back to 1980s war and former Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Taliban emerged in 1994 in response to runaway corruption and violence of mujahedeen warlords who took power from former communist regime in 1992.

Pakistan was key in getting Taliban to negotiation table with United States in 2018. Those talks eventually led to U.S.-Taliban deal that was signed in February, providing for withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan. deal also paved way for start of talks between Taliban and Afghan government, which began in September in efforts to hammer out a romap for post-war Afghanistan. talks, after some recent procedural progress, have been suspended till early January though re is speculation resumption could be furr delayed.

Kabul has called for talks to resume inside Afghanistan while Taliban insist y continue in Doha, Qatar, where y maintain a political office. Meanwhile, Washington has been increasingly frustrated by a spike in violence in Afghanistan and calls for a cease-fire have been reaching crescendo levels in both Kabul and in Washington.

Taliban spokesman Mohamm Naeem tweeted late Tuesday that “a high level delegation” led by Barar “left for Islamab at official invitation" of Pakistan. delegation was to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, as well as military officials.

However, it is unclear if Taliban visit to Pakistan would yield any progress toward even a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan. President Donald Trump accelerated withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan earlier this month, with ar 2,000 troops returning home by early January and leaving just 2,500 American soldiers behind.

final withdrawal hinges on Taliban fulfilling ir commitment to cut off al-Qaida and or militant groups and ensure that Afghan territory is t used for attacks on United States. Islamic State group-  a rival of Taliban is seen as America's greatest security threat in Afghanistan.

Khalilz has called on both sides in Qatar talks to press toward a political solution, but stepped-up violence by Taliban is undermining progress, according to officials familiar with talks. y spoke on condition of anymity to discuss negotiations. Taliban have so far rejected calls for a cease-fire to be included in nda of Qatar talks.

In Afghanistan, a roside bomb struck a vehicle in Kabul early on Wednesday, wounding two people, according to Kabul police spokesman, Ferdaws Faramarz. And on Tuesday, a lawyer was shot and killed in latest target killings sweeping country. Afghan police have arrested two suspects in connection with shooting.