Afghan Taliban say agreement reached on framework for peace talks

Announcement was followed hours later by deadly bombing in Ghazni that killed 30 security personnel

Members of the Taliban's peace negotiation team attend a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, amid talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, in Doha, Qatar November 21, 2020. Patrick Semansky/Pool via REUTERSShow less

Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents said they had reached an agreement with the government on the framework for peace negotiations, more than two months after the two sides began direct talks in Doha.

The terms for the negotiations, comprising 21 articles, were approved by both parties, Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, said on Twitter. The Afghan government did not immediately comment.

The talks aim to end 19 years of conflict after the 2001 US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban regime.

But there has been no reduction in insurgent attacks since the talks began, despite repeated government calls for a ceasefire.

At least 30 security personnel were killed on Sunday when a suicide car bomber struck an army base on the outskirts of the eastern city of Ghazni.

Officials say casualties could increase given the intensity and location of the blast.

Baz Hemat, director of the provincial hospital in Ghazni, said 30 bodies and 24 injured people were taken there.

“All of the victims are security personnel,” Mr Hemat said.

The blast hit a compound of the public protection force, a wing of the Afghan security forces, local officials said.

They said it damaged civilian residences around the compound and there could be more casualties there.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although Ghazni has had regular fighting between the Taliban and government forces.

A key disagreement in Doha has been whether a US-Taliban deal should serve as the basis for the Afghan-Taliban talks, a position rejected by the government.

The peace deal the US signed with the militants on February 29 requires the Taliban to cut ties with all terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda, in exchange for American troops to be wihdrawn from Afghanistan.

The US has started withdrawing forces from the country and will reduce its troops to 2,500 from 4,500 by January 15, with more scheduled leave by May.

The Afghan government has expressed concern over what it considers to be a premature withdrawal that could leave the country in civil war.

The UN has noted a surge in violence by the Taliban since the talks opened on September 12, ranging from attacks on Afghan army bases to attempts to capture key cities including Kandahar.

Other militants have launched assaults on Kabul University and other educational centres, killing dozens of students.

On September 21, unknown assailants fired a deadly barrage of rockets that struck residential areas in the capital.