Taliban political chief arrives in Qatar for talks

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

The newly appointed head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has arrived in Doha after securing UN travel waivers, the group leader said on Sunday.

"Mullah Baradar along with other Taliban negotiators have arrived in Doha," a senior Taliban leader in Qatar confirmed to Anadolu Agency.

However, he has yet to decide on whether to take part in the new round of US-Taliban talks which will begin on Monday, he added.

Earlier in a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Mullah Baradar will not participate in the meeting as he announced a negotiation team and authorized it to carry out talks with the U.S.

On Friday, U.S. top envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said the U.S. and Russia have agreed to explore options for securing UN travel waivers for Taliban negotiators to participate in peace talks in Qatar.

"Amb Kabulov [Russian top envoy] and I also discussed travel barriers to talks. We will explore options for securing UN travel waivers for Taliban negotiators to participate in peace talks," Khalilzad tweeted after his meeting with Kabulov in Ankara.

Baradar, Taliban name co-founder who is now appointed as head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, was released on Oct. 25, 2018 by Pakistan on request of Zalmay Khalilzad to facilitate the ongoing peace process between the U.S. and Taliban.