Fears growing from Taliban as peace efforts move forward in Afghanistan

Shaimaa Hefzi

The Taliban movement is raising controversy once more, following the failure to sign a comprehensive peace agreement in the areas that witnessed some escalation in the past period.

The Taliban refused to participate in a conference in Istanbul on means of bringing the conflict in Afghanistan to an end. The conference was scheduled to be held in the period between April 24 and May 4.

Taliban’s intransigence in the face of efforts to end the conflict in Afghanistan comes as the United States prepares to withdraw its troops in the country by 11 September.

NATO troops are also expected to pull out of Afghanistan, for the first time since 2001.

Western countries are keen on reaching a deal with the Taliban to ensure that the Afghan group would not follow in the footsteps of al-Qaeda.

Analysts expect the Taliban to keep refusing to be part of the aspired comprehensive peace deal in Afghanistan.

However, some other experts think the group will accept to be part of the negotiations, but to demand a share in power.

Nevertheless, there are fears that the Taliban would approve an agreement that keeps the current government in power, but then returns to its violent activities soon after foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

Dangerous relationship

Al-Qaeda continues to be a dangerous organization, even as it does not receive supplies as it did in the past.

This explains why Western countries are worried about continued relations between the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

In October last year, a senior official of the United Nations warned that al-Qaeda continued to be an international danger, even as the Taliban had prevented it from staging attacks in Afghanistan.