Bagram Attack Casts Shadow Over Qatar Peace Talks: Sources

“Before the Taliban’s (Bagram airbase) attack, Americans launched airstrikes in Sangin (district of Helmand) and I wished neither had happened so the talks would continue normally” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander, “but it didn’t have a big enough effect to stop them.”

The Afghan government once again urged the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and reduction of violence in the country.

“The continuation of violence will not help the talks progress; in fact it will be a big obstacle at the beginning of the negotiations, and, because of this, ceasefire is a main condition( for the peace talks),” said Najia Anwari, spokeswoman for the Ministry of State for Peace Affairs.

A source believes that the Bagram airbase attack was the “opposite of what actually the Qatar Taliban wants,” and said there are five categories of Taliban:

“Taliban that are working for Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada, Mullah Omar’s group, Mullah Mansour’s group, Haqqani Network and the Taliban in Qatar, which is making the “real decisions.”

“There is a possibility of intellectual differences among them (the Taliban), and yesterday’s attack was not a good move” said Sayed Ishaq Gailani, founder and chairman of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan.

On Thursday, the negotiations between the US and Taliban delegations in Qatar entered their sixth day and sources said that both sides have continued discussing the reduction of violence, intra-Afghan talks and ceasefire.

But there is “no major progress yet,” one source said.